In 2019, the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres (CGIAR) programme on Policies, Institutions and Markets (PIM) assisted Nigeria in launching the National Gender Policy in Agriculture.
The policy’s objective is to improve food security by incentivising agricultural actors to implement climate-smart and gender-sensitive schemes that will increase food production.
Currently, climate change, growing inflation, and other conflicts continue to fuel hunger in the country. According to the 2024 Cadre Harmonise report compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), more than 31.8 million Nigerians are experiencing severe food insecurity, which is exacerbating malnutrition among women and children.
About 855,629 tons of food, enough to feed 8.5 million people for at least six months, was lost to flooding in the country during the wet season, according to the FAO. This also has an effect on food supplies, as data from the Nigeria National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that the food inflation rate in 2024 increased to 40.87 per cent, which is 15.62 per cent higher than the rate in 2023.
Drought and floods have continued to reduce crop yield and productivity of many farmers in Nigeria, making them more helpless, particularly in rural areas.
In 2022, USAID Flood Impact Aggregation estimates revealed that 2.8 million people were affected, 2 million displaced, 384,000 acres of farms destroyed and 603 people killed.
Crop loss due to other climate change-related issues like heat waves, disease and pests also make the development of climate-smart agricultural technologies necessary to increase food security.
CGIAR, a global alliance that conducts research to improve food security, has had its innovations scaled up to lessen the negative climate change impacts, while simultaneously ensuring that women and men have access to improved farm inputs, technology and markets, all to boost food security.
With more access to these innovations and technologies developed by CGIAR through partners, more families are now venturing into modern agriculture in Kano, northwest Nigeria.
Hauwa Aminu Ahmad, 26, is providing for her family through horticulture. She ventured into agriculture in 2022 with a zeal for success, and today, she earns a living through it.
“I started in my backyard with little capital, and later, the (CIGAR-supported) IITA initiative helped me learn new expertise that transformed the way I used to do things. It equipped me with the expertise, so I could grow my own vegetables in abundance and utilise different fertilisers effectively,” she said.
Every three months, Hauwa’s farm produces 20 to 25 baskets of tomatoes and cucumbers, five baskets of parsley every week, and about 11 sacks of potatoes.
In Kano State, a basket of tomatoes currently costs almost N42,000 (an estimated $26.63) while potatoes cost more than N50,000 ($32) per bag.
The 26-year-old says her land is unique because of the amount of attention she devotes to protecting it from pests and diseases. “It has really given me financial freedom,” she says, adding that her plan is to acquire more land to expand production and distribution to other parts of the country.
“This business has helped me transition from single to multiple sources of income. I harvest more than I used to. Now I can sell the surplus to my neighbours,” she said.
Hauwa intends to set up greenhouses in other locations as part of her business expansion drive, and her mother and siblings are in support.
Hadiza Lawan, 47, is another farmer, who has made encouraging progress throughout the value chain. Her interest in agriculture blossomed after she was given access to new millet and sorghum varieties developed by ICRISAT, a member of the CGIAR consortium.
The seed varieties were appropriate for the Kano environment, which is increasingly vulnerable to drought and desertification.
Her life and that of many other women, is improving with training and support from CGIAR and its partners.
“The intervention helps us with agricultural skills, seeds and fertiliser application. My farm is not that big, but we are making reasonable progress. I plan to venture into other varieties like rice and tomatoes next year,” she said.
She started two years ago, and her family is already interested because “they’ve seen how profitable it is.”
Hadiza equally says she is “making progress and things are getting better by the day.”
In the past, Kano, one of the leading states with the highest number of irrigation farmers, had fewer women in production, but more interventions are changing the narrative.
Maryam Abdullahi, a resident of Kibiya Local Government Area, is now farming crops during both the wet and dry seasons. “I began farming in 2018 but learnt to improve it last year. It has benefited me tremendously and continues to do so,” she said.
Her farm’s capacity increased from less than 1 ha to 5.3 ha because of improved seeds and other innovations.
Mariam also stated that since venturing into the sector in a male-controlled setting like Kano, food production has benefited her in “all aspects”.
“By growing most of these things ourselves, we lower the cost of purchasing food. In addition to assisting the men, we are looking after our families. For us, having financial freedom is crucial,” Mariam stated, adding, “My wish is to expand the farm and go into poultry and livestock production to make more money.”
Mrs Ummukhairi Al-Mustapha Rabi, a 32-year-old woman in Kano town, is doing well due to her acquired skills. She grows cucumber, onions, tomatoes, chilli and lettuce. “Despite attending a school with a relevant curriculum, I was initially unaware of these things until I enrolled in the IITA programme. It broadened my perspective, and I became more interested.
“The intervention and knowledge received were unique because we were introduced to the actual practical sides of it, which further heightened my interest,” she explained.
For Ummukhairi, most farmers lack the knowledge necessary to manage an agribusiness, something she got from the training. In addition to her present three farms—two for chili peppers and one for cucumbers — she is also designing two more tomato demonstration farms.
She described her agricultural operation as “smart farming in a small place that you will get a higher yield,” adding that “unlike some farmers who will be struggling with larger lands,” her small space generates more cash.
She urged other women to “really wake up to this” since it is beneficial and would lift many out of poverty.
Like Hauwa, Ummukhairi’s next plan is to have a greenhouse because “some crops will perform better under greenhouse conditions, making it easier to guard against pests and other variables that will affect productivity.”
She said her income and family’s food supplies have increased significantly since she received improved training and innovations.
“The business is supporting my family; we no longer buy things like onions, peppers, tomatoes, and other veggies because we have them,” she stated.
Ummukhairi views the situation as “an eye opener” since it allows her to “eat good vegetables that only the rich go to the supermarkets to buy.”
Mr Ola-Adeyemo Adetomiwa, who works at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), one of the CGIAR research centres, described how new innovations are enabling women in the state to produce more food.
“For each of the seeds, we provided them with seven varieties. Sorghum and millet were planted in Kibiya and Dawakin Tofa, respectively. We also gave them fertiliser — one bag each of urea and NPK.
“We regularly visited there to monitor their concerns about pests and other issues, and then the harvest stage,” he said.
In addition to improved climate-smart seed varieties, several crops are being expanded to incorporate value addition.
“We organised training for packaging, marketing, and processed foods. So we showed them how to convert them into flour to make spaghetti, couscous, peanuts and finally flour to make doughnuts and cakes.
“We also offered them grinding machines that would be utilised to convert those things into flour, merely to boost their livelihoods and ensure they are marketable. We taught them branding and how to register corporate businesses for ease of selling,” Mr Adetomiwa said.
Today, women’s participation in agriculture is growing throughout northern Nigeria, as more climate-friendly interventions and gender-sensitive and responsive programmes reach them. This improves their lives, families and communities while also having a positive effect on the country’s food security.
This story was supported by CGIAR and MESHA