The Federal Government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, through the Value Chain Development Programme, VCDP, have supported 3,256 women farmers in Kogi State’s rice and cassava value chains.
The State Project Coordinator of FGN/IFAD-VCDP Kogi, Dr Stella Adejoh, disclosed this in Lokoja during activities marking the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer, themed “Celebrating Women Farmers: Driving Food Security, Inclusive Agri-food Systems and Rural Prosperity,” which brought together women involved in the production, processing and marketing of rice and cassava across the five VCDP-supported local government areas.
Government officials, lawmakers, development partners, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organizations and representatives of financial institutions also attended the event.
Adejoh described the United Nations’ declaration of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer as a historic recognition of the vital role women play in agriculture.
She said women participating in the VCDP in Kogi were not merely beneficiaries but active producers, processors, aggregators, marketers, innovators and leaders within the agricultural sector.
According to her, women in Ajaokuta, Ibaji, Kabba-Bunu, Lokoja and Olamaboro have increasingly moved from subsistence farming into commercial agribusiness.
She explained that women in the rice value chain had adopted improved parboiling, milling, packaging and branding techniques to improve product quality and increase their incomes.
In the cassava value chain, she said beneficiaries were producing gari, high-quality cassava flour and odourless fufu for expanding markets.
“Within five years, VCDP has supported 3,256 women along rice and cassava value chains through access to inputs, productive assets and market linkages,” Adejoh said.
She added that the programme’s Empowerment Learning Centres were providing women with training in agribusiness, financial literacy, nutrition and entrepreneurship.
The women are also using digital tools to access market information and weather forecasts while adopting climate-smart agricultural practices.
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Adejoh said the programme had provided labour-saving processing equipment, enabling women to move beyond small-scale production into aggregation and distribution.
She, however, identified limited access to land, affordable financing, extension services, mechanization, storage facilities and reliable electricity as some of the major challenges facing women farmers.
Adejoh called for deliberate policies and investments to ensure that the International Year of the Woman Farmer produces lasting benefits beyond ceremonial activities.
The Kogi Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Mr. Timothy Ojomah, commended the VCDP leadership for its support to women farmers.
Ojomah urged the beneficiaries to see themselves as representatives of the entire state and encouraged them to become “trainers of trainers” by sharing their knowledge with women in the remaining 16 local government areas.
He also reaffirmed the commitment of Governor Ahmed Ododo’s administration to empowering women and youths across the state.
The Managing Director of Kogi Agricultural Development Project, ADP, Dr George Ogirima, described women as the “engine room” of agriculture and called for stronger branding and market linkages.
Ogirima said better market connections would enable products made by women farmers to compete in urban supermarkets and international markets.
The Deputy Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Mrs. Comfort Egwaba, and the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Mr. Seyi Bello, also reaffirmed the Assembly’s support for agriculture and women’s participation in farming.
Stakeholders at the event called for the expansion of the train-the-trainer model to all 21 local government areas of the state.
They also urged financial institutions to develop flexible financing products for women farmers, while calling on private-sector players to establish stronger contracts and market partnerships with women-led agricultural businesses.
The Chairperson of the Women Farmers Group Network, Mrs. Joy Yusuf, said the VCDP had improved the lives of women farmers in Kogi through training, value addition and empowerment initiatives.
Yusuf said the programme had contributed to food security, improved incomes and better nutrition through the provision of processing houses, aggregation centres, tricycles and other forms of support.
She urged the government to expand the programme to more local governments and rural communities.
The FGN/IFAD-assisted Value Chain Development Programme is implemented across nine states to improve incomes and food security among rural households involved in rice and cassava production.
It was reported that the Lokoja event also featured awards for outstanding women farmers in various categories, including Best Woman Producer, Processor and Marketer for rice and cassava.
Mrs. Rafat Ahmed was named the overall Best Agripreneur Champion. The event ended with a tour of an exhibition showcasing various rice and cassava value-added products produced by participating women farmers.
NAN
