By Boluwatife Adedokun
Nigeria is losing an estimated $2.3 billion annually, equivalent to about two per cent of its Gross Domestic Product, because women farmers lack equal access to land, finance, technology, agricultural services and markets, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has said.
The FAO raised the concern in Abuja during a high-level meeting and panel discussion organised to mark the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
The meeting, held at the United Nations House under the theme, “Advancing Women’s Leadership and Economic Power in Nigeria’s Agrifood System,” brought together government officials, development partners, financial institutions, private-sector operators, farmers’ organisations and women farmers.
According to FAO, women are active across virtually every part of Nigeria’s agrifood system, including crop production, livestock, fisheries, food processing, trading, entrepreneurship and household nutrition. However, their productivity remains constrained by unequal access to productive resources.
FAO representative, Hussein Gadain, said women should be recognised not only as contributors to agrifood systems but also as decision-makers, innovators, investors and leaders.
The organisation said women account for about 41 per cent of the global agrifood workforce, while women contribute an estimated 37 per cent of labour in Nigeria’s crop production.
It said the productivity gap was largely caused by unequal opportunities rather than women’s ability to farm.
FAO warned that failing to close the gap could continue to affect Nigeria’s efforts to address food insecurity, unemployment, rural poverty, insecurity and climate-related disruptions to agricultural production.
The agency also said closing gender gaps in agricultural productivity and wages globally could add nearly $1 trillion to the world economy and reduce food insecurity for millions of people.
Agriculture contributes about 22 to 25 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, with an estimated 35 to 40 per cent of the country’s labour force engaged in the sector. More than 70 per cent of rural households also depend on agriculture for part or all of their income and food security.
The United Nations agencies said women, despite their large contribution to agriculture, are often concentrated at the lower-value end of agricultural value chains, while access to productive assets, finance, technology and major commercial decisions remains disproportionately limited.
FAO therefore called for policies that move beyond simply including women in agricultural programmes to measures that expand their economic power and participation in decision-making.
The World Food Programme said targeted investments could help women farmers move from vulnerable farming households into stronger economic activities.
The WFP disclosed that about 128,000 women had been part of its work with farming communities in northern Nigeria over the past five years.
Its interventions have included the provision of seeds, fertiliser and other agricultural inputs, equipment, storage facilities, irrigation, market linkages and community resilience hubs.
The organisation said more than 70 per cent of jobs created through its activities had gone to young women.
The International Fund for Agricultural Development also disclosed that at least 96,827 women had been reached through three of its programmes in Nigeria: the Value Chain Development Programme, Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises – Niger Delta and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones.
Under the Value Chain Development Programme, 87,888 women are members of supported rural producer organisations, while 36,572 have received training in crop production technologies and 50,613 have accessed advisory services.
Through LIFE-ND, 17,201 women have received training, while the SAPZ programme has trained 5,815 women in improved crop production practices.
IFAD also reported that LIFE-ND had enabled 11,003 women to access savings, 9,568 to obtain credit and 11,382 to access insurance, while 14,654 women received financial literacy training.
Nearly 60,000 female household members supported by the VCDP have also received assistance to cope with the effects of climate change.
The three UN agencies called for greater investment in women farmers, including improved access to land, finance, technology, markets and productive resources.
They also urged Nigeria to increase women’s participation in agricultural decision-making, cooperative leadership, business ownership and policy development.
The FAO said it would continue working with federal and state governments, financial institutions, development partners, farmer organisations and civil society to expand women’s economic opportunities through climate-smart agriculture, agribusiness development, financial inclusion, market access and gender-responsive policies.
