The Ghana Federation of Forest and Farm Producers (GhaFFaP) has called for a special stimulus package for rural women.

The Federation in a statement issued in Accra to commemorate the International Day of the Rural Women said women remained the anchor of the nation’s food production and needed to be incentivised for enhanced productivity.

The GhaFFaP congratulated rural women in Ghana and across the globe, “who continue to remain resolute even in very trying times of the Global COVID-19 Pandemic.”

This year's event is on the theme: “Building rural women’s resilience in the wake of COVID-19.”

It said, “We have noted in particular, that the requirements for accessing government’s stimulus packages have excluded the majority of rural women.

"We highly recommend the revision of these requirements to cater for the specific needs of rural women," it said.

The statement called for greater investment in forest and farm value chains through the delivery of micro and small irrigation for year-round production.

It said the government should also provide tailor-made extension services especially for women, warehousing to support product aggregation, equipment supports for value addition and support in the area of market development

It said GhaFFaP also recognised traditional authorities as key agents of local development and called for greater engagement with them in a bid to build up resilience in rural women.

It said the Federation was currently undertaking a COVID-19 and flood assessment to show their impact on livelihoods of rural women.

It said it was also an opportunity to support rural women build back better through input investment support for aggregation, value addition and access to markets, using the basket of products approach that engendered rural women investment in diversified livelihoods which in turn ensured climate resilient landscapes.

"GhaFFaP finds the theme for this year’s celebration very apt especially as it further brings to the fore the critical role of rural women in our efforts towards ‘Building Back Better’ in the face of the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic," it said.

The statement said it was in keeping with their firm belief in the critical role of women in building resilience, that GhaFFaP’s 10-year strategy dubbed the GhaFFaP Agenda 2030 has prioritized its Gender Strategy through a Women’s Champion Wing for the federation.

GhaFFaP members have effectively mobilised various women’s groups into very functional Village Savings and Loans Associations and are very open to collaborations with stakeholders.