Improved access to rural infrastructure would also significantly enhance women’s participation in agriculture. She called for greater investment in rural water supply, electricity and childcare facilities to reduce the burden of unpaid domestic work
By Kehinde Emmanuel, Ilorin
A Professor of Agricultural Economics at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Prof. Taibat Moji Yusuf, has called for comprehensive reforms to dismantle structural barriers limiting women’s participation and productivity in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Yusuf made the call on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, while delivering the university’s 23rd Inaugural Lecture titled, “Empowering Women Farmers in Nigeria: Closing the Gender Gap for Agricultural Transformation and Food Security.”
Drawing from more than three decades of field research, the professor said greater investment in women farmers was essential to increasing agricultural productivity, improving food security and tackling poverty in the country.
She identified unequal access to land as one of the major challenges confronting women in agriculture and urged the government to reform inheritance laws to guarantee women the right to own and inherit land irrespective of their marital status.
Yusuf also recommended joint land ownership for married couples, saying discriminatory land practices often prevent women farmers from accessing credit, agricultural inputs and other resources required to expand their activities.
On agricultural financing, she called for more gender-responsive funding schemes, particularly microcredit programmes that do not require land-based collateral.
She urged financial institutions to develop loan products that reflect the realities of women farmers and expand digital financial services to reach women living in remote rural communities.
The don also advocated reforms in agricultural extension services, including the recruitment of more female extension officers and the introduction of flexible training schedules that would accommodate women’s domestic responsibilities.
She further recommended the use of mobile technology to deliver agricultural information and advisory services to women farmers in local languages.
According to Yusuf, improved access to rural infrastructure would also significantly enhance women’s participation in agriculture. She called for greater investment in rural water supply, electricity and childcare facilities to reduce the burden of unpaid domestic work and allow women more time for farming and agribusiness.
She also advocated wider access to mechanised processing equipment and labour-saving technologies specifically designed to meet the needs of women farmers.
The professor stressed the importance of adult literacy, agricultural education and cooperative organisations in improving women’s management skills, encouraging technology adoption and strengthening their bargaining power.
She called for policies that would promote income diversification through off-farm employment, agro-processing and entrepreneurship, noting that improved roads, electricity and information and communication technology would make rural households more resilient to agricultural shocks.
Yusuf also urged the government and private sector to strengthen contract farming and agricultural credit schemes through public-private partnerships.
She said such programmes should provide farmers with dependable markets, inputs and financing while reducing some of the risks associated with agricultural production.
The lecturer further called for increased investment in post-harvest storage facilities, transportation, cold-chain systems and market information platforms to reduce food losses and enable women farmers to obtain better returns from their produce.
On sustainable agriculture, Yusuf recommended the promotion of environmentally friendly technologies, particularly moringa-based bio-organic fertiliser, through extension programmes, cooperative production networks and soil fertility initiatives.
She encouraged communities to increase moringa cultivation to ensure a steady supply of raw materials for producing the organic fertiliser.
Addressing agricultural policymaking, the professor advocated mandatory gender-impact assessments for agricultural programmes and policies.
She also called for greater representation of women on agricultural policy committees, boards and farmers’ unions, alongside dedicated budgetary allocations for gender-responsive agricultural investments and stronger mechanisms for monitoring their impact.
Yusuf said the fight against poverty and food insecurity must go beyond agriculture, stressing that agricultural policies should be integrated with national strategies on employment, education and healthcare.
She noted that with an estimated 140 million Nigerians living below the poverty line, coordinated action across sectors was necessary to address the country’s socioeconomic challenges.
The professor concluded that closing the gender gap in agriculture should not be viewed solely as an issue of fairness, but as a critical strategy for transforming Nigeria’s agricultural economy, empowering rural women and strengthening national food security.