By Abubakar Muhammad Tahir Smallholder Women Farmers Jigawa women farmers launch campaign to boost role in food security Partici...
By Abubakar Muhammad Tahir
Smallholder Women Farmers
Jigawa women farmers launch campaign to boost role in food security
Participants at the launch of national campaign to strengthen the contribution of women farmers to food security in Jigawa State on Wednesday, October 23, 2026.
THE Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON) has launched a national campaign aimed at strengthening the contribution of women farmers to food security in Jigawa State.
The campaign, titled “Accelerating Women Farmers’ Impact Towards Food Security,” was launched in Dutse during an event held at the Manpower Development Institute on Wednesday.
Speaking at the event, SWOFON State Coordinator, Hadiza Giwa, said Jigawa remained the only state among those assessed where citizens’ participation in the budget process was treated as a standard practice.
She said a recent SWOFON assessment showed that Jigawa recorded the most systematic and documented delivery of agricultural support to women among the five states studied.
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Giwa, however, said despite the progress recorded, smallholder women farmers continued to face challenges in accessing agricultural inputs, grants, water pumps and farmland.
She stressed the importance of investing in women farmers, describing them as critical actors in Nigeria’s food security efforts.
“Investing in small-scale women farmers is investing in the future of agriculture and ensuring food security for our nation,” she said.
The event also featured the presentation of SWOFON’s Policy Brief, “Women Farmers: Voice to Action,” which highlights the experiences, challenges and priorities of smallholder women farmers.
Presenting the findings, the Secretary of SWOFON in Jigawa State, Hadiza Dahiru, said many women farmers in the state lacked full control over the land they cultivated.
Participants at the launch of national campaign to strengthen the contribution of women farmers to food security in Jigawa State on Wednesday, October 23, 2026.
She called for greater transparency and accountability in the distribution of agricultural inputs to women farmers by both the Jigawa State Government and the Federal Government.
Dahiru also appealed for additional resources to enable the organisation to recruit enumerators across all 27 local government areas of the state.
According to her, comprehensive data on women farmers would help SWOFON members better understand their needs and strengthen advocacy for policies and programmes that directly benefit them.
During a commitment session at the event, representatives of the Jigawa State Government, the Ministry of Women Affairs, and the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning acknowledged the challenges confronting women farmers and pledged to take steps towards addressing them while improving accountability.
Representing the International Budget Partnership (IBP), the organisation’s Head of Communications, Uzodinma Joe Nkamuke, said he was in Dutse to support SWOFON farmers in reviewing the policy brief and strengthening its recommendations.
Nkamuke said women farmers continued to face challenges such as limited access to land and insecurity, adding that their participation in policy processes should translate into concrete government action.
“Even if they get approval, they need to have a budget that works for them. I hope stakeholders will strengthen SWOFON and ensure that all the challenges are addressed with proper action,” he said.
The campaign is expected to strengthen advocacy for increased investment in women farmers and promote greater accountability in the implementation of agricultural policies and programmes affecting smallholder women farmers in Jigawa State.
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