U/E/R: Peasant women farmers in two districts complaint of Fulani herdsmen harassment

Peasant Women Farmers in communities in the Talensi and Nabdam Districts of the Upper East Region who are into sheanut picking have expressed worry about the way and manner they are often harassed by some Fulani herdsmen in the area.

The Peasant Women Farmers who made the allegation explained that the Fulani headmen sometimes harassed them and ceased the sheanuts they pick and often attempt raping them.

The Peasant Women Farmers who belong to the Maltaaba Peasant Women Farmers' Cooperative ( MAPEWFAC ), made the complaint at a Joint Stakeholder Review Forum held in Bolgatanga on Thursday.

The forum organized by MAPEWFAC with funding support from STAR Ghana Foundation attracted 60 Peasant Women Farmers from the two Districts.

Mrs Yinwonbe Ziba, one of the participants from the Namolgo community in the Talensi District stated that many community members depend on sheanut picking as one of their major livelihoods. She noted that the spate of harassment by the Fulani herdsmen with their cattle was affecting their economic livelihoods.

Mrs Zagre Yenbila, another participant from the Yarkoti community in the Nabdam District, stated many of the peasant farmers have stopped picking sheanut because of the phenomenon.

“We have to commute long distances to the bush to pick sheanut to earn a living only to be harassed by these Fulani headmen,” she stressed.

The key findings of the needs assessments which was conducted by MAPEWFAC in some communities in the two Districts revealed that the communities in the two districts include insecurity, lack of veterinary services, grinding mills, potable water, inadequate credit facilities, no kindergartens, inadequate farm inputs (quality seeds, fertilizers) , inadequate income generating activities, poor soils and lack of electricity.

A Development Consultant who is a facilitator to MAPEWFAC, Mr Vincent Subbey, prior to the conducting of the need assessments in the communities, organized a capacity building programme for the staff of MAPEWFAC to empower them to undertake the activity.

He entreated the participants not to only rely on government for support, but to be very innovative and resilient in championing development activities in their respective communities.

Madam Lydia Miyella, the Executive Director of MAPEWFAC who also expressed worry about the trend called on the District Security Committees of the two Assemblies to collaborate with security agencies to address the concern raised by the group.

She explained that the rationale for organising the forum was to find a synergy of the needs of the small rural women farmers from its operational areas so as to build their capacity to address their own challenges as well as advocate for support in addressing such challenges.