The Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), Anambra State chapter, has called on governments at all levels to institutionalise the participation of women farmers in agricultural budgeting and policy implementation to strengthen food security in the country.
The organisation made the call on Wednesday in Awka during the launch of its policy brief, titled “Voice to Action”, which brought together representatives of government agencies, civil society organisations and stakeholders in the agricultural sector.
The event was aimed at presenting findings from SWOFON’s policy brief, highlighting the priorities of smallholder women farmers and securing commitments from government and other stakeholders towards gender-responsive agricultural policies, increased budgetary allocations and improved access to farming resources and services.
A presentation on the policy brief reviewed SWOFON’s activities between 2019 and 2025 across Anambra, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Niger and Oyo states.
According to the findings, the initiative significantly increased women farmers’ participation in state budget processes, with farmers attending budget hearings and submitting annual Charters of Demand.
However, the report noted that although all five states acknowledged the charters, only Jigawa had fully institutionalised women’s participation in its budget process.
It identified weak capital budget implementation, inadequate agricultural funding below the 10 per cent benchmark and poor service delivery as major challenges limiting the impact of government interventions targeting women farmers.
The report recommended that the next phase of advocacy should focus on monitoring whether the priorities of women farmers are reflected in approved budgets, funded, implemented and translated into improved access to productive resources at the community level.
In her remarks, the Country Director of the International Budget Partnership (IBP), Dr Olayinka Babalola, represented by Mrs Lilian Ibeh, said women account for about 70 per cent of Nigeria’s agricultural workforce and contribute up to 80 per cent of the country’s food production, yet have historically been excluded from key decisions on agricultural budgeting.
She said the partnership between IBP and SWOFON had helped change the situation across the five states by enabling women farmers to participate in budget meetings, submit annual Charters of Demand and engage directly with government planning processes.
“We can now state with evidence that this idea has worked. Across five states, women farmers now attend budget meetings that once excluded them,” she said, reaffirming IBP’s commitment to accountability and data-driven advocacy.
The State Manager of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Engr Chito Onuzulike, urged SWOFON members to sustain their advocacy while embracing mechanised agriculture to improve productivity beyond traditional farming methods.
Also speaking, the Head of the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Nnewi North Local Government Area, Mr Ajanobi Cajetan, said he was encountering SWOFON for the first time but expressed appreciation for the organisation’s work.
He pledged to support its activities and engage the local government chairman on possible areas of collaboration, noting that preparations for the next farming budget cycle would begin soon.
A representative of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Mrs Obianamma Orji, said the ministry had maintained a cordial relationship with SWOFON and would continue to support initiatives promoting women’s participation in budget processes.
Earlier, the SWOFON Anambra State Coordinator, Mrs Georgina Akunyiba, pledged the organisation’s commitment to ensuring that women’s priorities were reflected not only in consultations but also in budgets, programmes, implementation and measurable outcomes.
She called for stronger and more accountable public investment in agriculture in Anambra State, particularly in areas prioritised by smallholder women farmers who contribute significantly to food production, rural livelihoods and local economic activity.
Akunyiba said the call was based on findings from the IBP-SWOFON Impact Assessment 2019–2025, which examined the organisation’s contribution to budget advocacy, access to productive resources, institutional strengthening and women farmer empowerment across the five focal states, including Anambra.
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“The assessment provides an important message for Anambra State: women farmers are increasingly participating in public budgeting and policy processes, but participation must now translate into identifiable budget commitments, implementation and tangible services at community level,” she said.
She said the engagement was also aimed at presenting key findings and recommendations from SWOFON’s policy brief while amplifying the voices and priorities of smallholder women farmers on agricultural policy, budgeting and implementation.
“It is also to engage government and other key stakeholders to secure commitments towards adopting and implementing gender-responsive agricultural policies, adequate budgetary allocations, and improved delivery of resources and services to smallholder women farmers,” she said.
Akunyiba added that IBP’s support had enabled SWOFON members to receive training in gender-responsive budgeting, charter development, budget analysis and advocacy.
She, however, stressed that sustained institutional reforms would be required to address the structural barriers confronting women farmers.
During a panel discussion, the Ekwusigo Local Government SWOFON Coordinator, Mrs Ngozi Obiajulu, said the organisation had benefited from SMEDAN’s support through capacity-building initiatives and other interventions.
