The Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) has advocated for more public investment in agricultural and gender-friendly agricultural policies to achieve food security in the country.

This is contained in a SWOFON advocacy brief to lawmakers in the national and state assemblies published with technical support from the Centre for Social Justice and funding from the International Budget Partnership.

In the advocacy document,  SWOFON demands the preparation of budgets that have links to policy positions in national and international standards and this should specifically include removing drudgery from agriculture through gender-friendly mechanisation – low cost equipment and machinery such as hand-held power tillers, ploughs, planters, harvesters, etc., especially locally produced and fabricated equipment which is serviced by local technicians and artisans.

It also called for a transparent and well managed federal level programme of revolving micro-credit facilities to increase the productive capacities of women and improved seeds/seedlings, stems, fertilisers, pesticides, feeds, animal stock storage facilities, irrigation facilities.

There is also a need for investments across the value chains including locally produced processing equipment for product’s preservation and value addition as well as capacity building to minimise post-harvest losses.

Also, a strong and targeted extension service which links SHWF with innovations, research findings, and education on new farming techniques is required. This involves strong collaboration with states and local governments. Increasing the number of state and local government level female extension workers is imperative.

The brief also called for capacity building on climate change resilience, adaptation and mitigation strategies as well as organic farming; capacity building on management of agriculture cooperatives, financial literacy and group dynamics in its link to modern agriculture practices.

There is need for information Communications Technology/Knowledge Management (ICT/KM) Framework through using new devices to enhance ICT/KM capacity in the sector as well as reviving radio farm broadcasts designed to provide information to farming communities. On extension service, ICT has opened a new vista that can transform extension services from the analogue to the digital. This is about building an Agriculture Information Management Platform where all sources of information could converge as a one stop platform that facilitates farming.

SWOFON also called for an improved legislative oversight over public expenditure in agriculture with a focus of value for money. 

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