Nasarawa women farmers seek increase in budgetary allocation

A coalition of women farmers in Nasarawa State has urged the state government to evolve policies, including agricultural loans, that would enable them to have access to agricultural support services to boost food production.

They stated this at a press conference organized by the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), in collaboration with Ogbonge Women, Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON), and the Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN) and other women’s organizations on Tuesday in Lafia.

Mrs Ruth Joseph of SWOFON emphasized the need for the government to build the capacity of women through empowerment and access to information related to climate change, and new improved seeds, among others.

“I want to appeal to the government to engage more extension workers to reach out to women farmers and build our capacities in the areas of modern farming. Women are hardworking and ready to contribute their quotas to food security,” she said.

Mrs Justina Bala from ASSAPIN said that women were vulnerable to climate change in all aspects and urged the government to support them in building resilience against the impacts of climate change.

“As small-holder women farmers, whenever you are hit by the impact of climate change, it leaves us helpless. When your farm is being washed away, it affects your livelihood, and it makes the cost of living high because items in the market go up,” she said.

Patience Oomegho, a volunteer community-based agricultural extension worker, highlighted the land tenure system as one of the most serious obstacles that hinder agriculture and income generation for rural women farmers in Nigeria.

“So, we are saying that the government at all levels and traditional rulers should look into this problem regarding women owning land. They should develop policies that will enable women to have access to land given that women contribute a lot to food security,” she said.

Mrs Patricia Onoja from Ogbonge Women called on the government to remove bottlenecks in obtaining loans for women farmers and also demanded an increased budget allocation for agriculture and interest-free loans to enhance their output.

Other issues raised by women farmers included security concerns regarding herders and kidnappers. They called on the government to provide adequate security for women, especially rural women farmers.

Speaking earlier, Mr Ango Adamu, Executive Secretary of YMCA Mada Hills, said that the press conference was part of the “Together Against Poverty” (TAP2) project supported by Oxfam Africa.

According to him, the objective is to draw the attention of the government and relevant ministries and agencies to support women farmers in achieving their dreams through farming and other activities along the agricultural value chain. The aim is to improve their livelihoods, increase their resilience, and ensure their voices are heard.

“It’s also about recognizing the role played by women farmers in food security despite challenges of inadequate and discriminatory tendencies around farm input distribution, inadequate access to land, and other agricultural support services,” he said.

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