FINAL REPORT OF THE CLIMATE CHANGE TRAINING WORKSHOP FOR RURAL

WOMEN LEADERS IN RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Project Title Climate change training workshop for rural women leaders in rivers state, Nigeria
Location Rivers State Nigeria
Implementers Gender Responsive Climate Change Adaptation Initiative in Nigerian Agriculture
(GCAINA) in collaboration with:
- Center for Disaster Risk management and Development studies, University
of Port Harcourt
- Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, University of Port
Harcourt.
Lead & Focal Dr. Chinwoke Clara Ifeanyi-obi
Persons CHRHS Fellow & Research Fellow,
AIMS NEI Fellowship Program for Women in Climate Change Science; Supported by IDRC
Canada
Permanent address
Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension,
Faculty of Agriculture,
University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Nigeria
Email: clara.ifeanyi-obi@uniport.edu.ng

Prof. Andrew Obafemi

Director, Center for Disaster Risk Management and Development Studies, University of
Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Nigeria
Email: Andrew.obafemi@uniport.edu.ng

Dr Joseph Orluchukwu
Director, Institute of Agricultural Research and Development, University of Port Harcourt,
Rivers State. Nigeria
Email: joseph.orluchukwu@uniport.edu.ng

Duration 6months
Introduction In the bid to support the overall goal and objectives of the Gender-Responsive
Climate change Adaptation Initiative in Nigerian Agriculture (GCAINA)] project in
mainstreaming gender into climate change adaptation initiative in Nigeria, a training
seed application was made to the Center for Human rights and Humanitarian Studies
on the 17th of October 2021 and a favorable response received on the 4th of November
2021 and the subsequent release of 1000USD training seed grant. This was to be
used for the training of rural women Leaders in Rivers state in Climate Smart
Agricultural practices (CSA). It was planned with the intent of increasing the climate
change knowledge and capacity of rural women leaders in Rivers State hence
contribute to closing the knowledge gap in climate change between rural men and
women in agriculture. This activity was implemented by the lead applicant in
collaboration with the Center for Disaster Risk management and Development
Studies (CDRMDS), University of Port Harcourt and the Institute for Agricultural
Research and Development (IARD), University of Port Harcourt.
Project Goal The workshop was organized with the intent of improving rural women leaders’
and Purpose knowledge on climate change, causal factors, its effects and possible adaptation
options available for them hence facilitate uptake.
Project - Increase basic climate change knowledge of rural women in Rivers State
Objectives - Increase knowledge of climate smart crop management practices among
rural women in Rivers
- Increase knowledge of Climate Smart soil management practices among
rural women in Rivers State
- Enhanced Climate Smart pests and diseases management skill among rural
women in Rivers State
- Increase conflict management skill of rural women leaders in Rivers state
- Support rural women with improved crop varieties to adapt to climate
change impacts
Activities
Activity 1 Inception meeting (Pre workshop meeting)
The pre-workshop meeting which was initially scheduled for only the collaborators
was enlarge to accommodate all the presidents and secretaries of the identified active
rural women cooperative societies in the state. This was deemed necessary to give
the women opportunity to relate their area of need and expectations from the training
to the organisers. The meeting was graciously hosted by the Rivers State Agricultural
Development Programme (ADP). The ADP is the official government arm in charge
of agricultural advisory (extension) services in the country.
During the meeting, the women had the opportunity to relate their key problems
which they would want the training to tackle to the team.

Access the report of the Pre-Workshop meeting using the link below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ul3VkQBJ3dVLd4HixpLmUJvtb8Ud1aXx/view?u
sp=sharing
Access the pre workshop training Pictures and video clip:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1j43YkLTwoJYURLaAegN7JeBpvnlm_6pp
?usp=sharing

Activity 2 Training workshop

A two-day Climate Smart Agriculture Training workshop was help on the 9th and
10th of March, 2022 at the Playfield Nature Park, Port Harcourt from 9am to 3pm
each day.
The training Modules and the facilitators for the Day 1 Day 1(9th March) include:
- Helping rural farmers understand and respond effectively to climate change
outcomes- Dr Chinwoke Ifeanyi-obi
- Climate Smart crop management practices for Cassava-Maize-Vegetable
farming system- Dr Moses Okwusi
- Managing pests and diseases under a changing climate in Cassava-Maize-
Vegetable farming system- Dr Usman Zakka
- Effective leadership and management of cooperative societies - Dr V.C.
Ugwuja (Session A)
The training Modules and the facilitators for the Day 2 (10th March) include:
 - Climate Smart Weed Management Practices for Cassava-Maize-Vegetable
farming system- Dr Moses Okwusi
- Climate Smart Soil Management practices for Cassava-Maize-Vegetable
farming systems- Dr J. Orluchukwu
- Value addition in Cassava, Maize and vegetables; practical examples- Prof.
O.M. Adesope
- Effective leadership and management of cooperative societies - Dr V.C.
Ugwuja (Session B)

Details of each module treated during the training is contained in the CSA training
manual produced for the training. It could be accessed using the link provided below.
Participants for the training were 30 rural women leaders selected from the 23 Local
government areas of Rivers state (though about 11 rural women leaders attended
without being invited). In addition, key administrative and management staff of the
Rivers state Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) were on ground to offer
assistance and share their experiences during questions and answer sessions. Also,
staff of the National Root Crop Research Institute, Umudike, Project collaborators
and five researchers from the university of Port Harcourt were also in attendance.
The GCAINA project mentees were also in attendance to offer technical support.
Pre evaluation and post evaluation questionnaire was administered to the participants
to help assess their key socio-economic characteristics, attitudes and perceptions
towards CSA training. The findings of this evaluation was found relevant to policy
makers and researchers hence developed as a Policy brief (Titled ‘Could capacity
building increase rural women participation in climate change adaptation initiative
in Nigerian agricultural Sector?’) and journal article (Titled ‘Promoting rural women
leaders involvement in climate smart agriculture discourse through capacity building
in Rivers State, Nigeria’).
Link to the policy brief could be accessed using the link provided below while that
of the journal article will be shared once the article is published.
Demonstration, briefing and distribution of improved varieties of cassava and Maize
was done on the last day of the training. Each participant learnt about improved
species of cassava available at the National Root Crop Research Institute, Umudike
and maize that could help them withstand extreme weather event as well as ensure
increase productivity.
The improved specie of cassava given to the participants were: UMUCASS 36
(vitamin A cassava), NR 87184, TMS 0505, TMS 0581 and TME 419. These species
are high yielding (could give up 725t/Ha), early maturing, CMD resistance, high
starch, early bulking and drought tolerate species. They were also given Sugar king
F1 specie of maize. It is a tropical hybrid of sweet corn which has a strong plant
vigour, strong root system making it tolerant to drought and flooding. It has excellent
eating quality and early maturity.
Training was successfully concluded in 2 days achieving remarkable improvements
in the climate change knowledge and capacity level of the rural women leaders.
Follow on discussion to monitor the progress of the improved varieties distributed is
already in progress. Wrap up meeting was held in May to allow facilitators and other
key participants profile lessons learnt from the training conducted. Remarkable
 outputs and outcomes were recorded from this training as reported in the output and
outcome section.

Links to training documents and media publications

Brief documentary of the programme could be accessed at:
Part 1: https://youtu.be/Uw5C3UZGv3Q
Part 2: https://youtu.be/EU0rwS49V98

News publication of the programme could be accessed at:

Firstnews-https://firstnewsng.com/general-news/group-trains-1000-women-
farmers-to-tackle-climate-change-impact/
Environews-https://www.environewsnigeria.com/1000-women-farmers-trained-to-
tackle-climate-change-impact/

Access the policy brief here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TcKhf1KxRlaVE-

NPZNhwz2us6e1SdIlU/view?usp=sharing
Access the training manual here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qrWgfuBFdEY2Pl6E4CDb8xRHo5x6YI7t/view?u
sp=sharing
CSA Training pictures:
Day 1: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17-
O7oaZCh26vNfQ00BWlZQMNPFEYO5xs?usp=sharing
Day 2:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Hrot2rxS3W01QKEM8ilTzsu09Ubv4vhL?
usp=sharing

Activity 3 Training wrap up meeting

A wrap up meeting for the collaborators and facilitators of the training was held on
Wednesday 18th May, 2022 via zoom. This meeting was supposed to hold one month
after the training but was delayed to see if the industrial strike action of the academic
and non-academic staff union of universities could be called off so a physical
meeting be held.
The meeting was attended by all the facilitators during the training as well as the
collaborators.
The major lessons from the workshop as listed by the facilitators during the wrap up
meeting were:
- Such trainings should include key extension agents who are the frontline
agricultural information agents. Comments and contributions as well as
feedbacks from them based on their field experience could give important
insight.
- Such training should have more practical sessions for a more indepth
understanding by the rural women bearing in mind that the participants were
rural women without basic knowledge in modules learnt.
- Also, time allocated for the training wasn’t sufficient because of the
educational background of the participants. They needed a lot of explanations
 to enable them understand topics been treated. Such trainings should last for
a minimum of one week.
- Coverage in terms of number of participants is small. It will be difficult for
one rural women leader to make appreciable impact in a whole Local
government area in cascading the training down. Provision should be made
for more women to participate in subsequent trainings.
- Provision should be made to develop the training modules into short videos.
This will help the rural women recall subjects learnt during the training.
Those who were not opportune to attend the training could easily learn from
such Video clips than the written training manual.

Activity 4 Follow up discussions

Follow up discussions with workshop participants is already going on via WhatsApp
platform (formed for all participants and facilitators of the training) and physical
visits to their farms. Through the platform, we are able to monitor the progress of the
participants in respect of the improved varieties given to them to plant as well as
support them in cascading the training down to members of their cooperative society.
Participants also get speedy response to their farming challenges through the
WhatsApp platform. This activity will continue as its embedded into the community
service activities by the faculty of Agriculture (Extension practice) as well as the
community service of IARD. The progress of the rural women will be evaluated at
intervals and possible support given.
In addition to the online follow up and support, participants are visited at their farms
to monitor progress made with respect to the improved varieties given to them.

Pictures taken during the last follow up discussion in a participants farm at

Aluu community could be accessed here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16z32Tx5qOPXoIEcOlrUM-
HqP9hCn8sXV?usp=sharing

Adjustments This workshop was proposed to hold in the second week of March, 2022 at both the
made due to Center for Disaster Risk Management and Development Studies (CDRMDS) and
challenges Institute of Agricultural Research and Development (IARD) demonstration farm,
encountered
University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
An inception meeting to be held at the Center for Disaster Risk Management and
Development Studies was planned to precede the training with a wrap up meeting to
be held a month after the training and three subsequent follow up Discussions.
Unfortunately, both the Academic and Non-academic Staff Union of Universities in
Nigeria embarked on industrial strike action making it impossible to hold any activity
involving academic staff in the university which was the planned venue of the
training. The Center for Disaster Risk Management and Development Studies
(CDRMDS) and Institute of Agricultural Research and Development (IARD) could
not fulfil their obligation in terms of venue, technical staff and farm that was
supposed to be used for the training.
In order to ensure the training activity was still implemented, some adjustments were
made.
 GCAINA Project was scheduled to hold a one-day training workshop for the rural
women on the identified area of need through the field survey carried out in the
research project. The CHRHS planned one day was merged with GCAINA one day
training to a two-day comprehensive and more elaborate training activity for the rural
women leaders in Rivers State. This was to leverage on GCAINA resources as a
substitute for the resources supposed to be provided by the CDRMDS and IARD
which was thwarted by the industrial action of the Academic staff union of
universities (ASUU).

Key Outcomes a. Increased knowledge and capacity of rural women on climate change and
climate smart agriculture innovations and management practices particularly
on the topics handled.
b. Established new and strengthened weak existing collaborations and linkages
between research and development centers in the university and key
beneficiaries specifically rural women
c. Identified more gaps in climate change knowledge and adaptation of rural
women agricultural activities in Rivers state
d. Better understanding of climate change knowledge and capacity challenges
of rural women in Rivers State
e. Overall improvement in living standard of rural women facilitated by better
adaptation to climate change threats
f. Contributed to the development of actionable roadmap to gender –responsive
climate change adaptation in rural Nigeria
g. Contribute to my planned initiative, developing a “Climate Smart Village” in
the university of Port Harcourt.

Key Outputs a. Development of a policy brief

b. Programme documentary uploaded in YouTube
c. Production of a Climate Smart training manual for rural women
d. Climate Smart Agriculture WhatsApp platform for rural women leaders in
Rivers State
e. Journal article developed from the qualitative data collected during the training
f. Programme pictures uploaded shared in drive

Financial report See attached

Other 1. Payment receipts for all expenditures (See attached)
documents 2. Workshop attendance sheet (See attached)
attached
Acknowledgeme The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS-Rwanda) and Center for
nts Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies (CHRHS), Watson Institute, Brown
University are gratefully acknowledged for funding this training.