Gender Strategy - The National Association of Nigerian Traders NANTS

NANTS gender approach in this strategy is an integral component of this overall strategy. NANTS recognises that a focus on gender can increase the productivity of agriculture and improve food security and nutrition. Improving women’s access to productive resources to be at par with men will increase farm yields by 20-30%. This will in turn increase agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5 – 4%, thereby reducing the number of hungry people by 12-17% (FAO 2011).

This strategy’s gender-mainstreaming approach promotes the integration of the needs of both men and women equally into its programmes and operations. Central to this is the promotion of policies and actions that facilitate equitable access to productive resources by both men and women, as well as the integration of gender perspectives into NANTS functions and activities to ensure that both sexes benefit. Women’s needs will be accounted for in the development and dissemination of trade and agricultural policies and technologies. Women will be enabled to 11 fully participate in and benefit from agricultural innovation processes, and women farmers, agribusiness persons and scientists will receive the training they need to be fully competitive in their work. Added to this is that issues around youth will be taken very seriously within the target and objective of ensuring youthful replacement of aging farmers as well as creation of employment for younger generation and teeming youths in order to avoid insecurity consequences of joblessness.

The process of developing this strategy has been informed by the following documents:

1. The Frame work for African Agricultural Productivity (FAAP)
2. Gender Equality and African Regional Institutions (GEARI) gender audit report of 2009

• CAADP Pillar IV Strategy and operational Plan 2011 -2013

1. The draft MTOP 2014–2018 as well as the draft report on constraints and opportunities for mainstreaming gender in African agricultural research and development among others.