Women and youth inclusiveness in agriculture is essential in achieving sustainable development, promoting gender equality and enhancing food security.

Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Bolu Owotomo, stated this at a meeting with the Programme Manager, Live and Peace Development Organisation, Mr. Segun Ojo, at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, pointing out that women and youth play crucial roles in ensuring food security, both at the household and community level.

Hon. Owotomo, who stressed that organising capacity building would improve their agricultural practices and give them more knowledge on sustainable farming, assured that state government would continue to sustain gender-sensitive agriculture policy to encourage more women and youth in agriculture.

Contributing, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Samuel Adeogun, maintained that supporting women and youth inclusion would empower them and promote gender equality in the agricultural sector.

Speaking, Mr. Ojo explained that the programme was initiated to create a dedicated budget line for smallholder women-farmer in the Ministries of Agriculture in the South-West states, which Ogun State had achieved, stating that existing policy would also be reviewed and updated, to ensure seamless implementation of the policy.

The Programme Manager added that the smallholder women farmer would also be integrated into the organised private sector in the six South-West states.