Stakeholders urge Niger State to allocate 30% of agricultural budget and 50,000 hectares of land to women farmers to boost productivity

Stakeholders at the 2026 International Women’s Day celebration in Minna have called on the Niger State Government to allocate 30 percent of its agricultural budget and 50,000 hectares of land specifically to women farmers to strengthen their role in the sector.

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The event, organised by the Niger State Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), took place at Doko International Hotel.

Delivering the lead paper, Dr. Balaraba Abubakar Sule highlighted the disparity between women farmers’ contributions and the resources available to them.

She noted that smallholder women make up about 70 percent of Nigeria’s agricultural labour force and produce nearly 60 percent of the country’s food, yet control only 14 percent of farmland.

Sule revealed that Niger State’s 2024 agricultural budget of N29.77 billion included no allocations specifically for women, forcing many into high-cost land arrangements.

She proposed reserving 50,000 hectares of the state’s 250,000-hectare land development program for women and establishing a Niger State Women in Agriculture Development Agency with independent budgetary control.

“Investing in women farmers is an economic strategy, not charity,” Sule said. “Closing the gender gap in agricultural resources could raise farm yields by 20 to 30 percent, with women reinvesting up to 90 percent of their income into families and communities.”

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Acknowledging the challenges, Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Isah Sidi Rijau, confirmed that the state government is committed to improving women farmers’ access to finance, modern training, and cooperative support, stressing that empowering women in agriculture is key to boosting productivity and food security in Niger State.