The immediate past President of the Small-Scale Women Farmers’ Organisations in Nigeria, Mrs. Mary Afan, appealed to the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) to prioritise women farmers. 

During an interview in Abuja on Monday, April 21, 2025, Mrs. Afan highlighted the need to focus on women farmers to boost agricultural production and ensure food security in the nation. Afan, who identified women farmers as the country’s primary source of food production, stated that they needed access to land, funds, finance, mechanisation, and extension services, among other things.

She stated that they could only farm between zero and two hectares of land due to cultural and traditional barriers that prevented women from owning or inheriting land in the country and some African regions.

The agric expert, however, urged NADF to prioritise smallholder women farmers in all its programmes and interventions geared towards food security and sustainability.

“NADF should give special attention to smallholder women farmers who are the primary food producers; we put food on the table of every household.

“So, in making sure that this fund intervenes in bringing food security to the nation, the interests of smallholder women farmers have to be considered.

“We appeal for the fund to intervene in procuring small farming implements, like power tillers and hand planters that the women can operate independently,” she said.

According to Afan, if we don’t encourage smallholder farmers, we risk being unable to feed ourselves as a country and will lack empowerment in that area.

Special interventions should be investigated to see how smallholder women farmers can access NADF directly, because when it passes through commercial banks, the organisation will face significant access challenges.

“We are over two million grassroots farmers grouped into cooperatives, so NADF can leverage SWOFON to ensure the nation achieves food security and sustainability”. The Federal Government established the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) to address agricultural financial difficulties and boost Nigeria’s agricultural potential.

These include providing financial and technical assistance to agricultural projects that increase food production, create jobs, and enhance farmers’ livelihoods.

It also fosters sustainable development and food security by closing the financial gap, improving farmer access to financing, and boosting the agricultural ecosystem.

Source: EnviroNews 

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