The Global Centre on adaptation program has held a training workshop in Accra, Ghana to build the capacity of West Africa’s regional agricultural officers to deliver Climate-smart resilient action.

KM4AgD Champion The training was led by Dr. Olu Ayayi, Global Center on Adaptation (GCA)  Coordinator. In attendance were officers responsible for Climate Change and regulatory services, extension services, and Youth & women in agricultural development from West Africa’s administrative regions.  The training follows a study by GCA and Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA) to provide knowledge and skills on how to design and deliver Digital extension advisory services in Africa and to share light on areas where improvement to existing services can be made.

The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA)   aims to enhance the knowledge and uptake of climate-smart practices through responsive digital advisory tools. This will be achieved by equipping agricultural advisory service providers with decision-making tools to provide advice to farmers in a way that ensures that both men and women farmers can equitably access and benefit from such services.

Concepts of gender equality

Ms. Eyerusalem Fasika, Country Manager of AfDB in Ghana speaks on the basic gender concepts, gender equality and general perceptions about gender issues in society and why understanding these issues matter in the work of rural advisory service providers. She also taught how certain persistent social constructs on gender roles and expected behaviors affect both men and women in a way that limits their opportunities, natural abilities, and potential to contribute meaningfully to the development of society.  To build their capacity to overcome these limitations and to deliver gender-sensitive agricultural advisory services, the participants were also trained on how to use simple gender analysis tools. This is to ensure that the particular needs of men and women are well catered for in agricultural advisory planning and delivery.

KM4AgD Champion

KM4AgD Champion Tailoring messages appropriately

Hon. John Osei Frimpong, Chairman of the Ghana Parliamentary Select Committee on Agriculture, said the training provided a commendable initiative as it has equipped participants with the essential knowledge and skills they need to make their service delivery gender-sensitive.

“I wish to commend the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and FARA for taking the initiative to help address one of the biggest challenges we face as a country in our agricultural service delivery and development efforts. I would like to call for more collaboration in the coming months to extend this training to officers and rural advisory delivery agents in the remaining regions in Africa,” he added.

Marilyn Yeboah, a KM4AgD Champion in Ghana and one of the training participants, said, “This training has given me an in-depth appreciation of the gaps that exist between men and women in accessing agricultural information and the urgent need to address the same”.

She added that with the help of the Digital Climate Advisory Services (DCAS) modules tools, she is adequately equipped to design and implement her activities to address the special needs of vulnerable groups, especially women and youth.

By PAUL ATSU.

Source: accessagric.com