Women farmers want policy to increase access to land ownership

Small-holder women farmers have appealed to federal and state governments to formulate policies that guarantee them to access and rights to land ownership.

The women, under the aegis of Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), lamented that tradition in some rural communities often limits women access to productive land.

“There is still a lot of cultural attitude that prevent women from inheriting, own or even purchase land,” said SWOFON national coordinator, Omaboyowa Roberts, during the group’s annual forum yesterday in Abuja.

“We need policies that will help us access land, and increase public financing for small holder women farmers in Nigeria,” she added.

Roberts observed that the low level of production this year was partly due to flooding and the security challenges in some parts of the country.

“Women farmers are vulnerable, and the violent conflicts are preventing them from going to farms,” she said.

The women also appealed for gender-friendly farming tools to ease their activities.

“If they cannot own big tractors because of the expense, we can have simple, gender-friendly farm tools that would enable them to be more efficient in their practices, help maximise their time and increase their produces,” she said.

Roberts listed other demands the women farmers include, involvement in budget planning, increased soft of to loans, easy business start-up packs, as well as sustainable plans.

These, she said, would help a small holder woman farmer grow up to a level of exporting her well-packed farm produce.

The forum was organised for the women farmers to express their challenges and get to know about opportunities available to them as small holder farmers.