Bridge Connect Africa Initiative (BCAI) on Thursday empowered 16 women in Kano with Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) adaptation skills to promote their economic growth.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training also aims to strengthen their households’ food security amid climate challenges.
The two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) was organised under Phase II of the Women Against Violence Empowered through Sustainability (WAVES) Project.
The training was supported by the French Embassy Fund for Civil Society Organisations (FEF-CSOs).
Speaking at the event, the WAVES Project Lead, Mr. Nathan Bako, said the initiative was designed to enhance women’s knowledge and capacity to disseminate CSA practices within their communities and scale up the adoption of resilient food production systems.
“Participants have already mastered practical skills in bed and sack cultivation of cucumber and okra, and they have successfully replicated these practices.
“This advanced workshop aimed to equip a core subset of women with facilitation skills, simplified technical knowledge, and confidence to become community CSA champions.
“They will be empowered to conduct their own “step-down” trainings, disseminating adaptable, low-resource CSA techniques to wider circles of women in their communities, thereby scaling up home-based food production and climate resilience,” Bako said.
Also speaking, the Programmes Associate of BCAI and Programme Manager of the project, Hajiya Ruqayya Abdulhadi, said the 16 women were drawn from eight clusters across the state.
She explained that the participants were selected from an earlier group of 50 women who benefited from the project’s foundational training.
“The participants are expected to return to their communities to train at least 20 other women each.
“This means the workshop is expected to reach about 200 women in total,” she said.
Abdulhadi expressed confidence that the women would make a significant impact in their communities by promoting sustainable agricultural practices and reducing gender-based violence.
Hajiya Fatima Muftau, a facilitator who spoke on “Soil and Nutrient Management, Water Management, Crop Management, as well as Monitoring and Evaluation,” encouraged the women to perform excellently.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Hajiya Zainab Magaji-Suleiman from Tarauni Local Government Area (LGA) commended BCAI for the initiative, describing it as timely and impactful.
She said the training had exposed her to climate-smart agriculture practices she previously lacked knowledge about, adding that she would step down the training in her community.
“The training has helped me understand how to improve my livelihood through CSA. I can now produce homemade fertiliser.
“I have successfully planted okra and cucumber, which I consume with my family.
“I intend to plant more okra, cucumber and red bell pepper in my next farming cycle to expand my business,” she said.
NAN
