The Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) has raised alarms over the possibility of rising food prices in 2025 if the ongoing challenges faced by farmers are not addressed promptly.
This concern was voiced during the SWOFON FCT State Level Interactive Forum held in Abuja to commemorate the International Day of Rural Women and World Food Day.
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World Food Day, celebrated annually on October 16, marks the founding of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in 1945. The theme for 2024 is “Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future.”
The forum, organized by SWOFON in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria as part of the Scaling Up Public Investment in Agriculture (SUPIA) project, highlighted several critical issues affecting farmers, including insecurity, farmers-herders conflicts, lack of access to credit facilities, land, irrigation facilities, and post-harvest losses.
Mrs. Comfort Sunday, the Coordinator of SWOFON’s FCT Chapter, emphasized that World Food Day should symbolize food abundance. However, she lamented that many Nigerians struggle to afford even one meal per day.
“The larger population of the country could not afford a meal daily,” she stated, underscoring the vital role of smallholder women farmers in ensuring food and nutrition security.
She pointed out that these farmers face significant obstacles such as land grabbing, ownership disputes, theft, and inadequate extension services. “The major problem we are having is the issue of land. To ensure the country is food secure, government should provide land for women farmers as well as security of farms and farmers,” Sunday urged.
Mrs. Mercy Nnnana, Secretary of FCT SWOFON, suggested that the Federal Government should complement its declaration of a state of emergency on food security with tangible actions. “We are crying about food shortage and huge post-harvest losses at the moment; the only way to address food shortage is to stop huge post-harvest losses,” she stressed.
Nnnana called for massive investments in processing and storage facilities, as well as training and market access for farmers. She expressed frustration over the lack of attention to rural farmers, who contribute between 60% to 75% of Nigeria’s food production. “There is a knowledge gap that needs to be bridged by the government,” she added.
Dr. Princess Tochukwu, a member of SWOFON from the Bwari Area Council, appealed for a review of the Land Use Act at the Local Government level to enhance smallholder women farmers’ access to land and increase production. “The government should match its commitment regarding food security with actions,” she emphasized, pointing out that commitments are often made without the necessary follow-through.
Mrs. Olabisi Ogedengbe, SWOFON Coordinator for Gwagwalada, called on the FCT administration to declare a state of emergency on the insecurity preventing women farmers from reaching their farms. She urged the government to provide improved farming equipment such as pumps, solar boreholes, Nafak sprayers, and silos.
Chika Orji, the SUPIA Project Lead, noted that the forum provided an essential platform for smallholder farmers to interact with state actors and stakeholders in the agricultural sector, allowing them to voice their challenges and advocate for actions that would enhance food production and secure their right to food.
