Resource information
Women play an important role in rural
economic activity but face severe constraints to
productivity and socioeconomic security. Nigeria's
agriculture sector employs 35 percent of women and up to 44
percent of female heads of households. Yet a number of
factors constrain the expansion and diversification of
agricultural activities, including fewer rights to land than
men, lower access to credit, and inequitable access to
inputs, fertilizers, and extension services. As a result,
their agricultural productivity remains lower than that of
men and their vulnerability to food insecurity and poverty
higher. How to help female farmers increase their
agricultural productivity and expand their economic
opportunities is thus a key policy question. The government
sees its agriculture transformation agenda (ATA) as a
critical tool for driving rural income growth, accelerating
the achievement of food and nutritional security, generating
employment, and transforming the country into a leading
player in global food markets. The strategy is to improve
the value chains of a number of agricultural commodities by
focusing on key aspects, including the availability and
provision of improved inputs (seed and fertilizer), support
for increased productivity and production, and the
establishment of staple crop processing zones. With a view
to informing the design of future agriculture policies and
projects, this research investigated the experience of
female farmers in an existing agriculture development
project, the National Fadama Development Project (Fadama).
Fadama is a community-driven development (CDD) project that
aims to reduce rural poverty and increase food availability
throughout all 36 states and the Federal capital territory
in Nigeria. In particular, the research examines: target;
performance; and empowerment of female farmers. This paper
focuses predominantly on female Fadama user groups (FUGs)
involved in cassava and palm oil processing, as these are
the main crops with which women work under Fadama in Ogun
state. Section A presents the factors that facilitate and
shape women s access to and performance in FUGs. Section B
discusses how women s increased income under the project
affects their economic empowerment. Section C draws
conclusions on the basis of this research, laying out key
findings and exploring their operational and policy implications.
