Smallholder women farmers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have raised fresh concerns over rising cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), discrimination, unequal access to farmland, among other vices affecting their livelihood.

The FCT President of Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation of Nigeria (SWOFON), Comfort Sunday, raised the concern during a sensitisation session organised by ActionAid Nigeria to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

Sunday, while narrating how GBV and discrimination directly affect women’s ability to farm and earn an income, said some husbands deny their wives access to farmland while giving same to women outside their households.

She added that some men seize farm proceeds or monitor how the earnings are spent, even when women are responsible for feeding the family and paying school fees.

Secretary of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Abaji branch, Ibrahim Shafa, stated that the problem extends beyond women farmers.

He said that many women suffer silently as they are being bullied or mistreated after returning from the farm exhausted.

The Programme Officer, Hajara Ramsey, decried that despite the fact that women farmers are the backbone of food production in our communities, many continue to face discrimination, unequal access to resources, harassment, and unsafe environment, saying that violence against them is not only a violation of their rights but a direct threat to food security, family well-being, and national development.

She, however, committed to promoting awareness, strengthening community support systems, advocating gender-inclusive agricultural policies, and ensuring that every woman farmer feels seen, protected, and empowered.