The federal government/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) has empowered 3,256 women farmers in the rice and cassava value chain in Kogi through access to inputs, productive assets, and market linkages.

Stella Adejoh, state project coordinator, FGN/IFAD-VCDP Kogi, made this known in Lokoja, during the commemoration of the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.

The event with the theme “Celebrating Women Farmers: Driving Food Security, Inclusive Agri-food Systems and Rural Prosperity” brought together women producers, processors and markers of rice and cassava commodities across the five benefiting LGAs.

Other stakeholders present included government officials, lawmakers, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, CSOs, and representatives of financial institutions.

Ms Adejoh said the UN declaration of 2026 as the International Year for the Woman Farmer was a historic recognition of women’s indispensable role in agriculture.

“In Kogi State and within VCDP, women are not just beneficiaries. They are producers, processors, aggregators, marketers, innovators and leaders,” she said.

Ms Adejoh noted that across the five VCDP LGAs comprising Ajaokuta, Ibaji, Kabba-Bunu, Lokoja and Olamaboro, women have moved from subsistence farming to agribusiness.

According to her, in rice, women have adopted improved parboiling, milling, packaging and branding to raise quality and income.

“In cassava, they are producing gari, high-quality flour and odourless fufu for expanding markets.

“Within five years, VCDP has supported 3,256 women along rice and cassava value chains through access to inputs, productive assets, and market linkages,” the project coordinator said.

Ms Adejoh said that its empowerment learning centres were also equipping women with skills in agribusiness, financial literacy, nutrition and entrepreneurship.

She added that women were further leveraging digital tools for market information and weather forecasts and adopting climate-smart practices.

“Through VCDP, women have gained access to labour-saving processing equipment and are moving from small-scale production into aggregation and distribution.

“The simple truth is: when a woman farmer is empowered, the benefits extend to her household, community, and the wider economy,” Ms Adejoh said.

Despite the gains, the coordinator listed persistent challenges to include limited access to land, affordable finance, extension services, mechanisation, storage, and reliable energy.

She said that the International Year must go beyond ceremony to trigger deliberate policies and investments.

Also, the commissioner for agriculture and food security, Timothy Ojomah, commended the VCDP leadership and urged women farmers to see themselves as representing the entire state, not just the five VCDP LGAs.

He emphasised sustainability and called on the trained women to serve as “trainers of trainers” to extend knowledge to the remaining 16 LGAs.

According to the commissioner, over 70 per cent of success in community mobilisation and household well-being relies on women.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the Governor Ahmed Ododo’s administration to prioritising women and youth empowerment across the state. 

In his remarks, George Ogirima, managing director, Kogi ADP, described women as the “engine room” of agriculture, contributing about 65 per cent of farm labour in Nigeria.

He urged stronger branding and market linkages so that products of women farmers could compete in urban supermarkets and export markets.

Also, Comfort Egwaba, Kogi Assembly Deputy Speaker, and House Committee chairman on Agriculture, Seyi Bello, reaffirmed the assembly’s support for agriculture, noting that in many communities women already lead in farming.

“This is not just about gender. It is about livelihoods and families,” she said.

Stakeholders stressed the need to scale up the train-the-trainer model to all 21 LGAs to strengthen market access to agribusiness.

Financial institutions were urged to design flexible loan products for women, and the private sector to build stronger contracts and market partnerships with women-led enterprises.

The chairperson of the Women Farmer’s Group Network, Joy Yusuf, said VCDP had transformed the lives of Kogi women farmers through various support, value addition and empowerment programmes.

“FGN/IFAD-VCDP has boosted food security, income and nutrition for women in five Kogi LGAs through training, processing houses, aggregation centres and provisions of tricycles,” she said.

Ms Yusuf urged the government to expand the programme to more local governments and communities.

The FGN/IFAD-Assisted Value Chain Development Programme is implemented in nine states to improve incomes and food security for rural households engaged in rice and cassava.

The event featured award presentations to outstanding farmers across several categories.

The award included Best Woman Producer, Processor, and Marketer for both rice and cassava, among others.

Rafat Ahmed was named overall best agripreneur champion.

Dignitaries also toured the exhibition of rice and cassava value-added products. 

(NAN)