UN Women, FAO in partnership to empower Turkana Women

Turkana, Friday June 30, 2023

KNA by Peter Gitonga 

Officials from UN Women and FAO, accompanied by County executive member for Agriculture David Erukudi have laid down strategies in an array of programs to sensitize women’s economic empowerment.

The presentations on the empowerment program also incorporated Turkana Deputy Governor Dr. John Erus who was briefed by the organizers on the Women's Economic Empowerment through Smart Agriculture project.

The project aims to increase investment in women's capacities to ensure more equitable access to assets and productive resources, strengthening women's rights and their ability to cope with increased visibility.

Elizabeth Obanda, the project manager for UN Women, emphasized the need to build the capacities of national and county-level institutions to implement gender-responsive Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) policies.

The visit was to gather insights and inputs from the county government and stakeholders to enrich the proposed interventions for the project's second phase.

Dr. Erus highlighted that climate change has had a significant impact on livelihoods in Turkana.

He noted that women lack information on utilizing technology in agriculture and stressed the need for an attitude change to encourage young people to embrace digital agriculture.

The deputy governor suggested that they should have the opportunity to study and participate in exchange programs related to agriculture.

Dr. Erus also emphasized the importance of encouraging younger women to venture into modern farming methods.

He expressed appreciation for all efforts that bring everyone on board and highlighted that food security is one of the nine-point agenda priorities.

Dr. Erus requested the preparation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to guide the commitment and collaboration between the involved parties.

In attendance was the county executive for Agriculture David Erukudi as well as officials from UN Women and FAO.

Courtesy ; K. N. A