By Abdullahi Lukman
The Woman Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN-ICON2) has launched a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing food security, reducing post-harvest losses, and creating job opportunities for women, youth, and people with disabilities.
This ambitious effort, developed in collaboration with the National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI) in Badegi, Niger State, seeks to revolutionize rice production and processing in Nigeria.
The project’s targets for 2025 include reducing rice production losses, expanding income streams for smallholder farmers, and improving food security through innovative value addition strategies.
A key meeting marking the start of the new project year took place in Abuja, bringing together women groups, community trainers, extension workers, and stakeholders from Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Gombe, Kaduna, and Nasarawa states.
The focus was on enhancing the economic and nutritional value of rice, with discussions on creating consumer-friendly products.
Hajia Maimuna Lawal, Director of Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainability at WOFAN-ICON2, noted that 30 to 40 percent of rice produced in Nigeria is lost annually due to pests, diseases, poor agronomic practices, and lack of proper processing infrastructure. She emphasized the importance of recovering these losses by developing new products from smallholder farmers’ rice and utilizing by-products to improve women’s economic prospects.
Dr. Nehemiah Danbaba, a rice value chain specialist from NCRI, highlighted the potential of transforming broken rice into flour, which could be used for various high-value products. Such innovations, he explained, could have significant benefits for both nutritional outcomes and economic empowerment for women and communities.
WOFAN-ICON2’s Country Project Director, Hajia Salamatu Garba, stressed that the initiative is aligned with the Mastercard Foundation’s goal of creating 10 million dignified job opportunities for women, youth, and people with disabilities.
She shared the project’s strategic plans for 2025, including the introduction of simple rice processing machines, training for youth in value addition, and the fortification of rice with nutrients from crops like soybeans and groundnuts.
These efforts will also result in the creation of fortified rice products and value-added items such as rice cheese balls, rice prinkles, and waina mix, offering new economic opportunities for the community.
WOFAN’s Operations and Business Manager, Mr. Taiwo Olawale, underscored the potential of these initiatives to drive economic growth, improve food security, and enhance nutritional outcomes, leading to a ripple effect of benefits for the communities involved.