By Felicia Imohimi
Ms Chika Orji, a Fellow of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Gender in Agrifood Systems Policy (GASP) Programme, has urged governments to establish community aggregation centres to empower women farmers.
Orji made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
She said the centres, as women-centred infrastructure, would help reduce post-harvest losses, curb exploitation by middlemen and prevent farmgate price dumping.
NAN reports that the GASP programme is implemented under the AWARD Fellowship to amplify the voices of women in agrifood systems and promote policy advocacy on their challenges.
Orji, who is also Programme and Communications Officer, Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), said such infrastructure would ease the burden on government and smallholder farmers, especially women.
She said post-harvest losses were major structural barriers limiting women farmers’ full participation in society.
According to her, post-harvest losses translate into lost income, education opportunities, healthcare access and dignity.
“Out of about 150 million tonnes of food produced annually by smallholder farmers, nearly 60 million tonnes are lost due to poor storage, weak infrastructure, inadequate preservation systems and policy inconsistencies.
“The burden is further worsened by limited access to training, finance, markets, homegrown technologies, and the activities of middlemen, as well as social exclusion,” she said.
Orji stressed that women farmers needed functional systems, effective policy frameworks and strengthened extension services rather than sympathy.
“They need to move from invisibility to visibility. They have laboured long enough; now it is time to break systemic barriers,” she said.
She added that smallholder women farmers account for about 70 per cent of Nigeria’s estimated 38 million smallholder farmers.
In spite of their contributions to national food security and the economy, she said they remained undervalued and excluded from full participation.
Referencing the 2026 International Women’s Day, Orji called for investment in aggregation centres, local storage and preservation systems, and homegrown technologies to create jobs for women and youth.
She urged government, the private sector and philanthropists to support women farmers with access to finance, markets and coordinated systems.
“This is about food security, inclusion, dignity and the future of Nigeria and Africa.
“Let us prioritise effective policy implementation, pass the Reserved Seats Bill for Women, and invest in visibility and empowerment,” she said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng
Edited by Olasunkanmi Onifade/Tosin Kolade
