Introduction
Being the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, agriculture employs 70% of the population. The majority of this labour force consists of women. However, in Nigeria, where women are indispensable in food production and rural development, women farmers face a barrage of challenges that prevent their full participation in sustainable agriculture. Land tenure systems with bias against women, inadequate access to credit and agricultural inputs, and sociocultural constraints are detrimental to their productivity and economic empowerment.
Sustainable agriculture refers to farming practices that maintain productivity while preserving natural resources, reducing environmental degradation, and ensuring long-term economic viability. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that food production must increase by 90% by 2050 to meet global demand. Without sustainable practices, soil depletion, water shortages, and biodiversity loss will intensify, threatening food security.
Barriers to Women’s Participation in Sustainable Agriculture
In Nigeria, women farmers experience all kinds of systemic constraints that impede their active engagement in sustainable agriculture. These constraints are discussed below.
- Land Ownership and Access to Resources
To further complicate matters for the women farmers in Nigeria, land ownership and control have remained an arduous task for custom and tradition, the land usually becoming the secondary commodity for women and left under the control of their male relatives. Section 1 of the Nigerian Land Use Act holds that land is vested in state governors; however, Traditional rulers and family heads continue to dominate land allocation in most rural areas, reinforcing male privilege. In a country where over 70% of the population relies on agriculture, land ownership determines economic survival. Yet, with men overwhelmingly occupying these decision-making roles, women face systemic exclusion. A report found that in many parts of Nigeria, only 10% of women have documented land rights. Customary laws in states like Ebonyi and Katsina prioritize male inheritance, leaving women dependent on male relatives for access to farmland.
Since the majority of women farmers do not have confidence in their land tenure, they will be less inclined to invest in the long term in agricultural ventures or in such sustainable practices as agroforestry or soil conservation. Secure land tenure is the primary avenue through which women can access government agricultural programs and international grants geared towards sustainable farm promotion.
- Financial Exclusion and Limited Access to Agricultural Inputs
Financial exclusion is present for women farmers in Nigeria because of their limited access to formal credit and agricultural extension services. Most financial institutions require collateral for loan applications, which can be land or other forms of property. Where customary law is not applied and since many women do not have ownership of land, they are unable to procure loans to enable them to invest in improved techniques of farming, irrigation systems, or high-yield varieties of crops.
The same goes for agricultural extension services that train farmers on contemporary and sustainable practices; these are mostly accessible for men. Studies show that in Nigeria, little of these agricultural extension services reach women farmers. The very low access to all these services and new farming methods tremendously hampers their productivity and capacity for climate-smart agriculture.
Legal and Institutional Policies (and Practices) that will Advance the Rights of Women Farmers: National Legal Frameworks
The Nigerian Constitution in Section 42, guarantees freedom from discrimination. However, the lack of specific enacted laws regarding women’s land rights undermines the constitutional recognition. The National Gender Policy 2006 seeks to advance gender equity across all sectors, such as agriculture, but this policy has proved to have been inconsistent in its effectiveness because of insufficient enforcement avenues.
Furthermore, the National Agricultural Policy stresses the necessity of involving women in agricultural development; however, there is a mismatch between policy design and implementation. Unfortunately, there is a direct lack of women farmers’ involvement in government intervention programs of the federal government, such as the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme and Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund because they have little or no access to land that they can use as collateral for obtaining loan.
International Legal Frameworks
Nigeria is a party to some international instruments on the protection of the rights of women farmers. The Maputo Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa notes that due to women’s subjugation through discrimination against access to land and the rest of the productive resources, discrimination against women should be abolished. Building on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), goals 5 (Gender Equality) and 2 (Zero Hunger) are cross-cutting themes with a focus on land and agricultural resources and equality of access for women.
While constrained by these responsibilities, the Nigerian government has not succeeded in putting into effect policies to give these multinational law instruments effect at the local level. Action must also be taken to bridge the gap between noble intention and local reality in addition to being bound by it.
Policy Recommendations for the Advancement of Women’s Rights in Sustainable Agriculture
To overcome the constraints that are currently preventing women’s participation in sustainable agriculture, a layered strategy involving the implementation of legal reforms, access to financing, and community empowerment efforts is needed.
- Strengthening Land Rights for Women
The Nigerian government has the duty to amend the Land Use Act in such a way as to ensure also equal access to land ownership and inheritance for women. Discriminatory customary laws restricting women’s access to land should be revisited, and community awareness programs should be implemented to promote challenging of patriarchal attitudes. Adoption of a national land reform policy in order to ensure women have ownership and cultivation of their land would be a key step in addressing the rural gender divide in agriculture.
- Increasing Access to Credit and Agricultural Inputs
Financial institutions need to formulate gender-differing credit and micro-loan schemes without land-based collateral. Activity by the government to scale up programs such as the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) should be directed to women farmers. Furthermore, women are entitled to enhanced access to fertilizer, better seeds and irrigation facilities via subsidized agricultural programmes.
The creation of women’s friendly small cooperative societies, in turn, can facilitate the mobilization of the community for better financial assistance and agricultural goods. Governments and NGOs should, in that direction, support rural women to create farmer cooperatives in order to benefit from more easily accessible credit instruments.
- Enhancing Education and Training Programs
Agricultural extension services need to be redesigned to provide women farmers with the necessary education in sustainable agricultural practices, climate adaptation and agribusiness. Training materials should be organized in a way to provide space for the needs of women’s schedule and obligations, using for instance flexible learning activities such as mobile training units or digital media.
Conclusion
In essence, the first step toward the realization of women farmers’ rights would be for Nigeria to achieve comprehensive legal reforms in tandem with financial inclusion and gender-responsive agricultural policies. Ensuring girls equal access to land, credit, training, and decision-making opportunities is a matter of social justice and a necessary step toward food security and sustainable development. By removing these barriers, Nigeria will be in a position to realize the full potential of women farmers and build an inclusive and resilient agricultural sector.
