The United Nations has declared that Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable food security, economic transformation and climate resilience without significantly increasing investment in women farmers and expanding their access to land, finance, technology, markets and decision-making opportunities.
The UN made the position on Monday in Abuja during a press conference to mark the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, warning that millions of women who play critical roles across Nigeria’s agrifood system continue to face structural barriers that limit their productivity, incomes and economic influence.
The organisation said the 2026 International Year must go beyond recognition and celebration to deliver concrete investments and policies that enable women farmers to acquire productive assets, build profitable businesses and assume stronger leadership roles across agricultural value chains.
According to the UN, women should no longer be viewed merely as beneficiaries of agricultural interventions but as producers, processors, entrepreneurs, innovators, investors and leaders capable of driving the transformation of Nigeria’s food system.
The organisation disclosed that its interventions in Nigeria had reached more than 100,000 women, with about $47 million allocated to supported investments incorporating targeted inclusion thresholds.
It said the projects recorded between 48 and 50 per cent female participation, alongside participation targets of 30 per cent for young people and five per cent for persons with disabilities.
The UN further disclosed that more than 221 market, processing and storage facilities were constructed or rehabilitated in 2025, while over 4,500 pieces of smart technology and clean-energy equipment were deployed to strengthen agricultural production, processing and value addition.
The equipment included briquetting machines, mobile phones, laptops, solar-powered water pumps, power tillers and cassava-peel conversion machines.
It added that 87,888 women were members of supported rural producer organisations, providing them with improved access to markets, services and economic opportunities.
Similarly, 82 women State Apex Leaders across 16 states received leadership training aimed at strengthening women’s participation in cooperative management and community decision-making.
The UN identified limited access to land and finance as among the most serious barriers confronting women farmers, stressing that Nigeria’s food security ambitions would remain difficult to achieve as long as women lacked the ability to access, own or control productive land and other agricultural assets.
It said its interventions had facilitated access to approximately 6,500 hectares of land for women and young people, while 21,015 hectares had been rehabilitated and placed under climate-resilient agricultural practices.
The interventions also helped protect 203 small-scale farmers from seasonal flooding.
On financial inclusion, the organisation said approximately ₦465 million in savings had been mobilised among 21,498 active savers, while women processors were being linked to microfinance opportunities, improved crop varieties, climate-smart processing infrastructure and direct markets.
The objective, it said, was to support the transition of rural women from informal and subsistence activities into commercially viable agricultural enterprises.
The UN also disclosed that 23,624 people had received training in Information and Communication Technology for Development, enabling agricultural stakeholders to use data generated through Agricultural Information Systems for marketing and informed decision-making.
It said digital agricultural advisory services, climate information and other technology-driven interventions were increasingly being extended to rural women.
In the area of clean energy, more than 780 rural women households across six states had benefited from low-cost biodigesters and related equipment.
According to the organisation, the technology has the potential to save women up to 12 hours weekly by reducing their dependence on firewood and freeing up time for productive, entrepreneurial and household activities.
The UN also highlighted the award of the African Organization for Standardization Dual Quality Mark Certification to five women cooperatives, describing the recognition as an important step towards improving the competitiveness of women-led enterprises in domestic and regional markets.
It said the certification could also strengthen the capacity of the cooperatives to take advantage of emerging opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The organisation warned that climate action must deliberately target women farmers, who are increasingly bearing the impact of climate-related disruptions to agricultural production.
It called for greater investment in climate-resilient seeds, irrigation, clean energy, climate information and labour-saving technologies specifically designed to reach women farmers.
The UN also urged the creation and expansion of dedicated financing windows for women-led agricultural cooperatives and businesses, arguing that conventional financial products often fail to reflect the realities of smallholder farmers and rural women entrepreneurs.
It further called for greater representation of women in farmer organisations, cooperatives, commodity platforms, policy processes and other agricultural decision-making structures.
As part of a broader call to action, the UN urged the Federal and state governments to strengthen gender-responsive agricultural policies and expand women’s access to land, extension services, infrastructure, technology, productive assets and climate services.
It also challenged financial institutions and the private sector to recognise women farmers as customers, suppliers, entrepreneurs and investment partners rather than merely as beneficiaries of development programmes.
Development partners, the organisation said, should scale up successful interventions instead of limiting their efforts to isolated pilot projects, while farmer organisations and community leaders should create more opportunities for women to participate in leadership and decision-making.
The UN also called on civil society organisations and the media to amplify the voices of women farmers, document progress and hold governments and institutions accountable for commitments made.
It stressed that the legacy of the International Year of the Woman Farmer must extend beyond 2026.
“When women farmers thrive, Nigeria’s food systems thrive,” the organisation said.
The UN maintained that recognition alone would not transform the lives of millions of women farmers, insisting that 2026 must mark a turning point where recognition translates into investment, policy creates opportunity, and participation delivers genuine leadership and economic power for women across Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
