Abuja: ActionAid’s Strategic Partnership for Agroecology and Climate Justice (SPAC-West Africa) has successfully trained over 12,000 women farmers and youths in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on organic farming practices, commonly known as agroecology. Mrs. Hajara Ramson, the Project Lead for SPAC-West Africa, Nigeria, revealed this during the stakeholders’ Campaign and Advocacy on Land Ownership and Market Access for Smallholder Women Farmers (SHWFs) and Young Farmers in FCT.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the three-year project has provided agroecology capacity building and Training of Trainers (ToT) for participants across the six Area Councils of the FCT. This initiative has led to the adoption of sustainable farming practices and strengthened community resilience. Mrs. Ramson explained that the training was conducted through cooperatives, starting with an initial batch of 80 women in 2023, each of whom trained 50 others, culminating in a total of 12,000 trained individuals by 2025.
Mrs. Ramson emphasized the importance of scaling up the project to ensure a sufficient supply of organic food, which is vital for the health of the citizens. She called on the government to collaborate with the trained smallholder farmers to effect widespread positive change in communities and the nation.
Despite the progress made, Ramson noted that many smallholder women farmers and young farmers still face challenges in benefitting economically from their increased production due to issues such as insecure land tenure and limited market access. She stressed the necessity of secure land rights and reliable market linkages to translate increased production into economic empowerment.
The SPAC project, supported by ActionAid’s International Transformative Impact Fund (TIF), was implemented in collaboration with the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON). This organization represents over 500,000 rural women farmers nationwide, contributing significantly to the country’s food production.
Ramson highlighted the project’s role in addressing the negative impacts of unsustainable farming practices, such as the use of synthetic fertilizers and hazardous chemicals, which lead to land degradation and unhealthy food production. The advocacy campaign aims to ensure that women farmers gain land ownership and market access, contributing to a food-secured nation.
Alhaji Kana Shuaibu, District Head of Abaji, praised ActionAid for its efforts in promoting agroecology among women and youths. He encouraged the expansion of the project to include more beneficiaries and the formation of clusters by women farmers to facilitate land access. Mrs. Olabisi Ogedengbe, SWOFON Coordinator in Gwagwalada, shared her success story, stating that agroecology practices have enabled her to achieve sustainable vegetable production and increased market patronage.