An Agronomist with Trax Ghana, a non-profit organization based in the Upper East Region, Barikisu Iddrisu, is encouraging more women to venture into the technical aspects of agriculture.
Ms. Iddrisu explained that she had experienced that it had become easier for women to secure technical jobs within the agricultural sector.
As an agronomist, Ms. Iddrisu specializes in the study and practice of crop production and soil management. Her work is essential for improving agricultural productivity, sustainability, and food security.
The agronomist was discussing job prospects within the agricultural sector with Humul Khrusum Tahiru on the Equal Voices programme yesterday, June 30, 2024.
“Recently, I tried to test and see, if I wanted to go onto the job market, how would it go? When I see job advertisements for vacancies and such, and you apply, they would pick you automatically. They say things like, ‘You are a lady in agriculture doing this or that, and so we are happy to work with you.'”
“For the sector, I think when it comes to employment, it favors women,” she said.
She continued to say that women within the agriculture sector have been proven to be better nurturers and carers for plants, and so once additional technical knowledge and certification is included in the mix, they become preferred candidates for many jobs.
While admitting that jobs may be easier to secure within the space, Ms. Iddrisu said that payment systems could be a lot better, stressing that “people always want your services but they want it for free.”
While proper training is rigorous and expensive, the agronomist explained that many individuals are unwilling to pay to be given proper training and advice on the growing of plants, expecting that these would be given freely.
Ms. Iddrisu explained that the situation is highly unsustainable.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
