By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Women farmers participating in the Federal Government and International Fund for Agricultural Development’s Value Chain Development Programme in Nasarawa State have decried the shortage of agricultural land, saying it is limiting their expansion into commercial farming.
The farmers, under the Nasarawa State Women Network, also commended the FGN/IFAD-VCDP for supporting their transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture, including seed production and food processing.
The Chairperson of the network, Victoria Ogoshi, stated this on Thursday in Lafia at an event marking the 2026 International Year of Women Farmers.
The event, themed, “Celebrating Women Farmers: Driving Food Security, Inclusive Agrifood Systems and Rural Prosperity,” brought together women beneficiaries from Lafia, Doma, Wamba, Karu and Nasarawa local government areas.
Ogoshi appealed to the state government and community leaders to improve women’s access to agricultural land, describing land scarcity as a major barrier despite the skills and equipment they had acquired through the programme.
“Land has always been our challenge.
Most times, when we want to acquire land, a man can acquire up to 10 hectares for his farming operations. But when you are a woman, you are always looked down upon,” she said.
She said the programme had also enabled women to diversify into processing, packaging and digital marketing, with beneficiaries forming cooperatives and establishing businesses in cassava and rice seed production, food processing and commercial baking.
According to her, beneficiaries trained under the Gender Action Learning System had also begun converting rice husks and cassava peels into fuel briquettes, while integrating home gardens, poultry and nutrient-rich crops such as moringa into their farming systems.
The State Programme Coordinator of the FGN/IFAD-VCDP, Eunice Adgidzi, reaffirmed the programme’s commitment to increasing women’s participation in agriculture and breaking traditional barriers to their involvement.
She said the intervention had empowered women to embrace agriculture and improve their livelihoods, adding that beneficiaries had also learned to convert agricultural waste into briquettes.
Also, the representative of the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Jibrin-Yaro, urged female farmers to maximise the VCDP’s capacity-building opportunities to establish Nasarawa as a hub for women-led commercial agriculture.
The event featured awards for outstanding women farmers and processors.
Ngunan Wombo was named Best Woman Processor; Lubabatu Adamu, Circular Economy (Waste to Wealth) Champion; Dinatu Ishaya, Best Value Addition Champion; and Ogoshi, Best Woman Network Leadership Champion.
