By Leonard Okachie
(NAN) The Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises-Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) has celebrated women farmers in Abia, urging stronger support for their agricultural enterprises.
The body made the call during activities marking the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer in Umuahia.
The event, with the theme ‘Empowered Women, Transforming Agrifood Systems’, recognised women’s contributions to agriculture, food production and economic development.
LIFE-ND National Project Coordinator, Dr Abiodun Sanni, said women remained central to the agrifood system, spanning production, processing, marketing and nutrition.
Sanni, represented by Anthony Nwaobilor, LIFE-ND State Project Rural Institution, Youth and Gender Officer, said empowered women improved productivity and household welfare.
He said women’s empowerment also strengthened nutrition, employment and community development, while promoting equal opportunities across agricultural value chains.
Sanni described women farmers as critical drivers of agricultural transformation rather than mere participants in the sector.
He said empowerment must extend beyond training to include productive assets, finance, technology, markets and climate-smart agricultural practices.
According to him, women also require opportunities to participate meaningfully in decision-making processes affecting agriculture and community development.
He said LIFE-ND’s vision aligned with these objectives by strengthening rural institutions and building sustainable family enterprises for women and youth.
Sanni said the project had demonstrated that skills, structures and networks could transform small-scale farming into profitable enterprises.
He commended women cultivating farms, processing produce, managing enterprises, aggregating commodities and embracing innovation and leadership.
He said their experiences demonstrated that agriculture represented livelihoods, dignity, resilience and economic empowerment, beyond food production.
Sanni urged financial institutions to regard women farmers as credible business clients and develop financial products suited to their realities.
He also called on governments to formulate policies removing barriers restricting women’s participation in agriculture and agribusiness.
He urged development partners to increase investments in technology, infrastructure, markets and business development services targeting women farmers.
Sanni also appealed to traditional leaders to promote women’s participation in community decisions and improve their access to productive resources.
He encouraged women farmers to build their capacity, embrace innovation, work collectively and take advantage of available opportunities.
The Acting State Project Coordinator, Mr Azubuike Azubuike, said the celebration recognised women’s voices while creating pathways for their growth.
Azubuike said women across Abia were producing food, processing commodities, building businesses and providing leadership within farmer organisations.
He said many women had progressed from small-scale activities into confident and established agribusiness entrepreneurs through LIFE-ND interventions.
However, Azubuike said women still required greater access to finance, markets, technology, climate information, land and leadership opportunities.
He stressed that sustainable transformation required strong partnerships, shared responsibility and sustained commitment from all stakeholders.
Dr Lois Nwaganga, project coordinator, said the global initiative focused on closing gender gaps and promoting women’s leadership across food systems.
Nwaganga cited Nigerian agripreneurs Mosunmola Umoru, Nneka Okekearu and Abimbola Adebakin as examples of successful women across agricultural value chains.
She said empowered women increased food production, reduced hunger, strengthened communities and created employment opportunities.
Nwaganga identified land ownership, access to banking facilities and modern agricultural training among major challenges confronting women farmers.
She said improved access to land and productive resources would enable women to increase production and expand their enterprises faster.
“When you empower a woman, you empower a family, a community and a nation,” she said.
Nwaganga called for sustainable government programmes and low-cost credit facilities to support rural women engaged in agriculture.
The event featured success stories, exhibitions of women-led fishery, poultry, cassava and palm-oil enterprises, alongside a policy dialogue.
Eight outstanding women received awards for their contributions to agricultural development and women’s empowerment.
One of the awardees, Mrs Grace Okafor, was honoured for advancing Information and Communication Technology for Development in agriculture.
Representatives of the Ministries of Agriculture, Sports and Youth Development, among others, commended LIFE-ND.
They urged more women to embrace agriculture while calling for continued interventions that would strengthen women-led agricultural enterprises.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that LIFE-ND is a Federal Government project funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
The project receives support from the Niger Delta Development Commission and targets rural youth and women across the Niger Delta.
LIFE-ND seeks to improve incomes, strengthen food security and create sustainable employment opportunities through family enterprises across the region.
(NAN)
