By Sani Idris Abdulraman

An NGO, Women Initiative for Sustainable Environment (WISE), has partnered with the Kaduna State Ministry of Agriculture to organise a one-day advocacy and awareness walk to mark World Soil Day and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based-Violence (GBV).

16 Days of Activism Against GBV runs from November 25 to December 10, while World Soil Day is marked globally on December 5 each year.

The themes for the years’ commemorations were: ‘Healthy Soils For Healthy Cities’ and ‘Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls’,  respectively.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the walk, drew no fewer than 150 women from associations, organisations and community based groups across Kaduna and neighboring state to promote soils and digital safety.

At the event on Wednesday in Kaduna, Mrs Olanike Olugboji-Daramola, the Founder and Executive Director of WISE, explained that the advocacy was designed to amplify women’s voices in digital spaces and the agricultural sector, stressing that women remain central to food security and household nutrition.

She said the programme had in attendance 30 women farmers drawn from WISE’s regenerative agriculture initiative, trained to promote organic farming and soil restoration in their communities

Olugboji-Daramola also said that unhealthy soils affect human health, adding that healthy soils are essential for healthy cities, stable food systems and climate resilience.

She said WISE was encouraging women to grow food at home to improve household nutrition and reduce dependence on expensive market produce.

Olugboji-Daramola  explained that the organisation launched its regenerative agriculture accelerator after consultations with women on their priority challenges and livelihoods.

She also explained that excessive use of chemicals in farming is contributing to health challenges and environmental degradation across rural and urban communities.

She thanked the Kaduna State Ministry for Agriculture for its support and said the strategic documents presented would be shared with women farmers at the grassroots level.

Mr Bungwon Dutse, Director of Agricultural Services at the ministry, commended WISE and called for stronger institutional collaboration to scale up impact.

He urged the organisation to formally register on the ministry’s coordination platform to improve information sharing and technical support for women farmers.

Dr Pakachi Zakaria, Director of Veterinary Services, said community voices such as WISE should be integrated into agricultural and nutrition policy reforms.

He said that soil degradation resulting from human activities continues to reduce the nutritional value of food grown in many communities.

He said government nutrition strategy prioritises women, children under five, displaced persons and persons living with disabilities.

Mrs Elizabeth Hassan, a member of the regenerative agriculture cohort, said the programme helped women gain practical skills in organic farming and food production.

She said women were learning to plant what they want to eat, adding that healthy food remains more effective than medicine in building strong families.

Hassan highlighted security challenges facing women farmers, including physical insecurity and online risks, which limit access to farmlands and information.

She called on the government to strengthen security to enable women farmers return safely to their farms and expand food production.

The advocacy walk concluded with a call for stronger policies to protect women in digital spaces and improved investments in women led agriculture across Kaduna State.(NAN)