Women, though drivers of agriculture in Nigeria, constituting over 70 percent of the entire agricultural workforce, are almost skewed out of government intervention programmes. The nation’s agricultural budget as well as the total budget items apportioned for women farmers clearly demonstrates this. Where interventions are provided for farmers in Nigeria, they are hijacked by their male counterparts thus leaving the women farmers with little or nothing. Despite this set back, these small-scale women farmers, despite their limited size of agricultural holdings are still able to produce the bulk of food for domestic consumption and drive many aspects of the agricultural value chain.
In response, small holder women farmer Associations and Groups across Nigeria came together to form a network termed Small-scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON). This network was started with the support of ActionAid Nigeria in August of 2012 and exists with the goal of advocating for and supporting women farmers especially those in rural areas to spur rural village economic development, increase food production through capacity building of smallholder women farmers to demand for their rights and privileges from the duty bearers while serving as vocal and visible pressure group on behalf small holder women farmers in Nigeria.
Over the years, of the project, SWOFON, has been building a collective voice for all smallholder women farmers to express their needs to policymakers and duty bearer in addition to engaging the government directly to further improve existing agricultural policies to support women smallholder farmers.
Visibility and Recognition
With the advent of ActionAid and Global affairs Canada, SWOFON consistently advocated and engaged effectively through regular meetings with a wide range of committed stakeholders, this led to the recognition of SWOFON as a legitimate farmer organisation. On the 16th of April 2021 SWOFON was invited by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) for the ‘Roll out of the distribution of agricultural inputs and equipment support to smallholder women farmers to improve production and food security in the nation’
For the first time since inception, the president for Small Scale Women Farmers Organization of Nigeria (SWOFON) was specially invited to give a goodwill message. She expressed delight that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have gathered woman at a timely period in preparation for the rains. She also expressed delight that Government heeded to the voice of the women by allocating mechanized farming tools, inputs, and fertilizer for Agriculture right on time. She assured the government of equal distribution of items received across the 36 states and FCT.
Mercy Nnanna, a smallholder woman farmer from Kuje Area council received a pumping machine and some inputs. This greatly increased her yields because she was able to supply the proper amount of water to her crops with ease during irrigation. Subsequently, she was finally able to get her much-desired freezer to freeze and store her slaughtered birds before selling them. Today Mercy says she is happy because she can contribute towards the payment of her children’s school fees, this has also reduced some tension in her house.
This has taught us that consistent advocacy to the right authorities and proper articulation of our demands is important towards achieving our desired goals.
