Women farmers in Tema have appealed to government to provide targeted financial support through the proposed Women’s Development Bank (WDB) to enhance agricultural productivity and strengthen national food security.
Madam Serlom Asamoah, a farmer in Tema, in an interview said, women engaged in agriculture needed equal access to financial resources to enable them to increase farm yields and contribute meaningfully to economic growth.
She expressed concern that many women farmers continued to face difficulties accessing formal finance due to limited collateral, particularly land ownership, and deep-rooted social norms that placed women at a disadvantage within the agricultural sector.
Madam Asamoah said access to affordable loans with low interest rates would enable women farmers to purchase quality farm inputs and equipment, hire labour and adopt improved farming practices to boost productivity and incomes.
“Without affordable financing, it becomes difficult for women farmers to expand their operations or adopt improved farming methods,” she said.
Another farmer, Madam Ama Opoku, said high interest rates charged by informal money lenders were undermining farm output and household incomes, with adverse effects on the welfare of women and their families.
She noted that the establishment of the Women’s Development Bank would provide women farmers with access to affordable credit, allowing them to increase income levels and invest more in household nutrition, healthcare and the education of their children.
Madam Opoku added that improved access to finance would also enable women to adopt labour-saving technologies and efficient processing equipment, helping to reduce post-harvest losses, save time and fuel, and improve overall farm efficiency.
She appealed to policymakers to prioritise women-led agriculture, stressing that empowering women farmers would have a direct and positive impact on food security and rural livelihoods across the country.
