***Closing gap could add $1trn to global economy

Recent estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) have shown that Nigeria loses about $2.3 billion annually, equivalent to about two per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), to the gender gap in agricultural productivity.

The UN agency also said closing gender gaps in agricultural productivity and wages could add nearly $1 trillion to the global economy and reduce food insecurity for millions of people.

The FAO Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Dr Hussein Gadain, represented by the FAO Senior Programme Officer, Jimmy Owani, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at the commemoration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026.

The event was organised under the theme, “Advancing Women’s Leadership and Economic Power in Nigeria’s Agrifood System.”
According to Gadain, investing in women has both social and economic benefits, as evidence shows that when women have equal access to opportunities and resources, agricultural productivity rises, businesses grow, household incomes increase, nutrition improves and communities become more resilient to economic, climate and security shocks.

He emphasised that advancing women’s empowerment was an effective pathway to achieving sustainable development and food security.

Gadain, however, lamented that despite contributing an estimated 37 per cent of labour in crop production, many women still face challenges accessing land, finance, agricultural services, improved technologies and leadership opportunities.

He said these constraints resulted in female-managed farms recording lower productivity, not because of differences in ability but because of unequal access to resources and opportunities.

“The cost of this inequality is substantial. Estimates suggest that the gender gap in agricultural productivity costs Nigeria approximately $2.3 billion annually, equivalent to about two per cent of GDP.

“Closing these gaps presents a significant opportunity to accelerate agricultural transformation, strengthen food security and drive inclusive economic growth.”

Gadain urged stakeholders to move beyond rhetoric and commit to removing the constraints facing women farmers, expanding opportunities for women-led enterprises, strengthening women’s leadership and ensuring that no woman farmer was left behind.

“Because when women farmers succeed, families prosper. When women-led businesses grow, rural economies flourish. When women lead, communities become stronger. And when women are empowered across agrifood systems, Nigeria moves closer to achieving food security, economic prosperity and sustainable development for all,” he said.

The representative of the World Food Programme (WFP), Edouak Thiam, said 128,000 women had been a major part of its agricultural interventions in northern Nigeria over the past five years.

He said the organisation had supported farmers with seeds, fertiliser and other agricultural inputs, equipment and storage facilities, irrigation, market linkages and community resilience hubs.
Thiam added that more than 70 per cent of jobs created through its activities had gone to young women.

According to him, successful harvests had also generated economic activities beyond the farm, benefiting traders, transporters and processors while strengthening local economies.
The WFP said it would continue to support women farmers to increase production, strengthen incomes and build sustainable livelihoods.

Similarly, the representative of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Chioma Adeile-Okpara, said at least 96,827 women had been reached through three of its programmes in Nigeria: the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises for Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) and Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ).

She said 87,888 women under VCDP were members of supported rural producer organisations, while 36,572 had been trained in crop production technologies and 50,613 had accessed advisory services.

IFAD added that LIFE-ND had trained 17,201 women, including those engaged in crop production and fisheries, while SAPZ had trained 5,815 women in improved crop production practices.

It said LIFE-ND had also supported 11,003 women to access savings, 9,568 to access credit, 11,382 to access insurance and 14,654 to receive financial literacy training.
IFAD said more than 20,000 women across the three programmes had received targeted nutrition support, while nearly 60,000 female household members supported by VCDP had received assistance to cope with the effects of climate change.
The fund called for greater investment in women’s productive capacity, enterprises, organisations, innovations and leadership, stressing that women should be positioned as equal partners and decision-makers in transforming Nigeria’s agrifood systems.
It said the International Year of the Woman Farmer should go beyond recognising women’s contributions to agriculture and lead to concrete action to remove the barriers limiting their economic participation and leadership.