The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-Ghana), an NGO, has called on the government to implement inclusive, gender responsive and transformative agricultural policies to enhance food security in the country. Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed, Executive Director, SWIDA-Ghana, who made the call, said policies that ensured decent food for all and justice and economic security of women in agriculture should not just be inspirational but achievable, to ensure a more sustainable and prosperous agricultural sector. She made the call whilst addressing women in northern Ghana at a forum in Tamale to commemorate this year's International Day of Rural Women. The International Day of Rural Women was instituted by the United Nations General Assembly to recognise the critical role and contribution of rural women including indigenous women in enhancing agricultural and rural development whilst improving food security and eradicating rural poverty. SWIDA-Ghana organised the event in partnership with Tiyumba Hope Foundation amongst other partners with funding support from the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) under the Advocacy Actions for Women Economic Security and Justice in Agricultural Activities in Northern Ghana project. The Day was celebrated locally under the theme: 'Good Food for All: The Role of Agricultural Policy'. It attracted about 150 women, who discussed how sustainable agricultural policies could support rural women farmers to enhance their resilience in the sector. Hajia Sagito-Saeed said the commemoration in the region was to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of women in rural communities, especially in the agricultural sector. She said in Ghana and across Africa, rural women were the backbone of agriculture, adding 'They produce up to 80 per cent of the food we eat but they often have limited access to land, credit facilities, training and markets.' She emphasised that 'Agricultural policies must, therefore, be inclusive and equitable to help address these barriers and provide the rural women with the tools, resources and opportunities they need to thrive.' Madam Cynthia Koray Nagali, officer from the Nanton District Department of Agriculture, Northern Region commended women for their tremendous contribution to the sustainable growth of the agricultural value chain in the country. She urged more women to venture into the sector to help create more employment opportunities for other women to reduce issues of domestic violence, which were often connected to poverty and deprivation. She also appealed to traditional authorities to support women in agriculture by providing them with fertile lands to enable them to engage in productive farming activities. Madam Fadila Fuseini, Executive Director, Tiyumba Hope Foundation, expressed need for investment in training and capacity building for women in rural communities to empower them with emerging farming techniques that were critical in ensuring high crop yields. SWIDA-Ghana, as part of the celebration, sensitised participants on breast ca ncer and free breast screening. Madam Azika Abudu, a midwife and breast cancer survivor, educated participants on the importance of regular breast screening and said it helped in detecting early signs and symptoms of breast cancer for immediate medical intervention. Source: Ghana News Agency