News in Brief:
– The Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) in Kogi State is calling for improved access to agricultural inputs like seeds and fertilisers.
– The association highlighted the importance of food production through women’s empowerment in the agricultural sector.
An association of women farmers in Kogi State, the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), is urging the state’s Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry to improve access to agricultural inputs for women farmers in the state.
SWOFON members presented a community scorecard on the issue during a meeting with the Kogi State Budget Committee Group (BCG) and ActionAid Nigeria. The scorecard was based on inputs from women farmers across all 21 local government areas. It highlighted the challenges they face in obtaining essential resources like improved seeds and fertilizers.
Impact on food production
SWOFON Kogi State Coordinator, Hajiya Rukayat Lare Ahmed, noted the link between the access to inputs and food security. She stated that the key to attaining zero hunger in Nigeria, lay in the timely distribution of matured seeds.
Furthermore, she added that the empowerment of women farmers is âcrucial to improving food production in the state.â
Meanwhile, SWOFON Programme Officer, Hamza Aliyu, pointed out that smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women, are responsible for 90% of the state’s agricultural output. Yet, he bemoaned that they face difficulties accessing agricultural inputs. He further mentioned that women make up 70% of the agricultural labour force, 50% of animal husbandry activities, and 60% of food processing activities.
Collaboration for progress
In response, the Kogi State Commissioner for Agriculture, Timothy Ojomah, acknowledged the challenges and expressed the government’s commitment to supporting women farmers. He called for collaboration with SWOFON to ensure women are included in input distribution initiatives.
The meeting concluded with a call for continued collaboration between SWOFON, the Kogi State government, and development partners to address the challenges faced by women farmers. This will help to ensure their access to the resources they need to contribute to the state’s food security.
