MUSANZE- The deputy Chief Gender Monitor, Ramazani Barengayabo, has petitioned districts to support policies aimed at economically empowering women.

He made the remarks yesterday during a training workshop for district coordinating committees on enhancing gender responsiveness in agriculture.

The participants included agronomists, heads of cooperatives and gender focal points from the districts of Kirehe and Nyaruguru.

"The agricultural sector is very crucial to national development and all stakeholders should be equally engaged. Research indicates that women’s incomes do not correspond to the amount of time invested,’’ Barengayabo said.

According to a survey carried out by NISR in 2008, whereas women perform the bulk of agricultural tasks, they have no control over revenues from crop sales and key farm inputs, extension services and rural development loans.

Theonestine Nyiramahoro, the head of coffee growers in Kirehe, noted that women do not have a say on sales or what to plant.

"Men own land, they decide which crops to grow; they have access to information about training or any opportunities for farmers, but women need to be given priority,’’ Nyiramahoro said.

The training was organised by the Gender Monitoring Office, under a new responsive program of Gender and Democratic Governance with support from UN Women.

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