The Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), Niger State chapter, has urged the state government to tackle insecurity, poor funding, and lack of gender-friendly machinery affecting women farmers.

The Niger State Coordinator of SWOFON, Grace Disa, made the appeal at a news conference immediately after the state-level campaign on “Accelerating Women Farmers’ Impact Towards Food Security” on Wednesday in Minna.

The programme was organised in collaboration with the International Budget Partnership (IBP) and various civil society organisations (CSOs).

Ms Disa said women farmers were key contributors to food production, processing, marketing and household food security, adding that their productivity was constrained by several challenges such as the non-release of budgetary allocations to them.

She called for practical interventions to improve women farmers’ access to land, agricultural inputs, finance, mechanisation, markets, storage facilities and security.

Ms Disa also advocated increased access to storage facilities, including silos, to reduce post-harvest losses and minimise reliance on chemical preservatives, adding that improved access to essential farm resources would boost food production.

Presenting SWOFON’s policy brief, “Women Farmers’ Voice to Action,”the State Secretary, Hannah Omuya, said women farmers continued to face limited access to productive resources and participation in agricultural decision-making.

She called for deliberate inclusion of women farmers in the state’s annual agricultural budget, saying interventions should clearly indicate the number of women beneficiaries, resources allocated and mechanisms for reaching them.

Ms Omuya urged the government to provide fertiliser, improved seeds and other agricultural inputs early enough for women farmers to use during the appropriate farming season.

According to her, women farmers also require affordable financing that takes into consideration their limited collateral and seasonal income, as well as gender-friendly mechanisation, storage and processing facilities and reliable market linkages.

Ms Omuya further called for climate-smart agricultural support and stronger security measures to enable women farmers to safely access their farms and protect their produce.

Speaking, Permanent Secretary, Niger State Ministry of Agriculture, Matthew Ahmed, said women constituted over 60 per cent of the agricultural workforce in the state.

Mr Ahmed, represented by the Director, Agriculture Linkages and Services, Garba Maikasuwa, said the ministry recognised challenges confronting women farmers, including access to land, inputs, finance, extension services, mechanisation, storage and reliable markets.

He promised to continue to collaborate with SWOFON and other stakeholders to address them.

He said the state government had established the Agricultural Cooperatives Micro Credit Agency, with women allocated 60 per cent of its credit facility.

Mr Ahmed said efforts were also being made to address farmers’ challenges through relevant government agencies.

Consultant with IBP, Chinonso Aluma, said SWOFON was moving from merely presenting demands to monitoring budget allocation, releases and implementation.

Ms Aluma added that an assessment showed agricultural budget allocation between 2021 and 2025 stood at 8.46 per cent, below the 10 per cent Malabo Declaration benchmark.

She urged SWOFON members to monitor government interventions to ensure that budgeted programmes reached the intended number of beneficiaries.

 ‌⁠‍‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍A farmer from the Gurara Local Government Area, Comfort Makere, identified insecurity and illegal mining as major challenges limiting women’s access to farms.

Similarly, a farmer from Paikoro Local Government Area, Larai Yakubu, said women farmers faced lack of capital, crop theft, limited access to land and destruction of farmlands by illegal mining.

Ms Yarkubu appealed for women-friendly machinery, financial support and improved security to enable them to expand production. 

(NAN)