A Professor of Agricultural Economics at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Professor Taibat Moji Yusuf, has called for comprehensive reforms to dismantle the structural barriers limiting women’s participation in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Professor Yusuf made the call on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, while delivering the 23rd Inaugural Lecture of the university, titled, “Empowering Women Farmers in Nigeria: Closing the Gender Gap for Agricultural Transformation and Food Security.”
Drawing on more than three decades of field-based research, the inaugural lecturer said empowering women farmers was crucial to increasing agricultural productivity, strengthening food security and reducing poverty in Nigeria.
She urged the government to reform inheritance laws to guarantee women the right to own and inherit land regardless of their marital status, while also promoting joint land ownership among married couples.
According to her, discriminatory land ownership practices remain major barriers preventing women farmers from accessing credit, agricultural inputs and other productive resources.
Professor Yusuf also advocated the expansion of gender-inclusive agricultural financing through microcredit schemes that do not require land as collateral.
She urged financial institutions to develop agricultural loan products tailored to the realities of women farmers and expand digital financial services to reach women in remote rural communities.
The professor called for reforms in agricultural extension services, including the recruitment of more female extension agents, flexible training schedules that take women’s domestic responsibilities into account, and the use of mobile platforms to deliver agricultural advisory services in local languages.
She said investments in rural water supply, electricity and childcare infrastructure would help reduce the burden of unpaid domestic labour on women and enable them to devote more time to farming and agribusiness.
Professor Yusuf further recommended greater access to mechanised processing equipment and other labour-saving technologies designed to meet the operational needs of women farmers.
She stressed the importance of adult literacy, agricultural training and cooperative organisations in strengthening women’s management skills, technology adoption and bargaining power.
The inaugural lecturer also called for policies to support income diversification through off-farm employment, agro-processing and entrepreneurship.
She said improved rural roads, electricity and information and communication technology would strengthen the capacity of rural households to withstand agricultural shocks.
Professor Yusuf urged the government and private sector to expand contract farming and credit programmes through public-private partnerships, particularly initiatives capable of providing farmers with reliable markets, agricultural inputs and financing.
She also advocated increased investment in post-harvest storage, transportation, cold-chain facilities and market information systems to reduce food losses and enable women farmers to derive greater value from their produce.
On sustainable agriculture, she recommended the mainstreaming of eco-friendly technologies, particularly moringa-based bio-organic fertiliser, through agricultural extension services, cooperative production networks and soil fertility programmes.
She urged communities to promote moringa cultivation to ensure a steady supply of raw materials for the production of the organic fertiliser.
On policy making, Professor Yusuf called for mandatory gender impact assessments for agricultural development programmes and policies, as well as greater representation of women on policy committees, agricultural boards and farmers’ unions.
She also advocated dedicated budgetary provisions for gender-responsive agricultural investments and stronger monitoring mechanisms to assess their impact.
Addressing the broader challenges of poverty and food insecurity, Professor Yusuf said agricultural policies must be integrated with national poverty reduction strategies, stressing that food security could not be achieved in isolation from employment, education and healthcare.
She noted that with an estimated 140 million Nigerians living below the poverty line, coordinated action across sectors had become urgent.
According to her, closing the gender gap in agriculture is not merely a question of fairness but an essential strategy for transforming Nigeria’s agricultural economy, reducing poverty and improving national food security.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
