The United Nations says women account for about 70 per cent of people involved in food crop production, processing and commercialisation in Nigeria, but remain constrained by limited access to land, finance, technology, markets and productive resources.
The UN disclosed this on Monday at a press conference in Abuja, to commemorate the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, themed, “Empowering Women Farmers: Advancing Inclusive Policies and Investments for Resilient Agrifood Systems.”
The international organisation also said its supported projects in Nigeria had reached more than 100,000 women, with about $47m invested in programmes targeting women, as between 48 and 50 per cent of beneficiaries.
Speaking on behalf of the FAO Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Dr Hussein Gadain, the Senior Programme Officer, Office of Emergency and Resilience, FAO, Jimmy Owani, said women were indispensable to Nigeria’s agrifood systems but continued to operate below their potential because of persistent inequalities.
“Women farmers are indispensable to agri-food systems,” he said, adding that investing in them was “not only a matter of equity, but also a strategic investment in food security, economic growth and sustainable development.”
