The Social and Integral Development Centre (SIDEC), in partnership with the Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), has called on the Anambra State Government to increase budgetary allocation to agriculture and strengthen policies capable of improving food security, climate resilience and the livelihoods of smallholder women farmers.
The delegation led by the Executive Director of SIDEC, Mrs Ugochi Ehiahuruike, made the call during an advocacy visit to the Anambra State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr Chukwukadibia Okoye.
Ehiahuruike said SIDEC and SWOFON had continued to promote inclusive development, accountable governance, sustainable agriculture and climate resilience through grassroots mobilisation, community sensitisation and strategic advocacy engagements across the state.
She noted that despite ongoing interventions, the agricultural sector in Anambra still faces major challenges threatening productivity, food systems and sustainable livelihoods, especially among rural women farmers.
According to her, one of the major concerns is the low budgetary allocation to agriculture, which she said falls below the 10 per cent benchmark contained in the Maputo and Malabo Declarations.
Ehiahuruike also identified the absence of a gender-responsive budgeting framework in the agriculture sector as a critical gap affecting inclusivity and equitable development.
She explained that the state currently lacks mechanisms that mainstream gender concerns in budget formulation, approval, implementation, monitoring and evaluation processes.
Other challenges highlighted by the SIDEC Executive Director included poor activation of Climate Smart Agriculture frameworks, weak agricultural extension services, poor access to farm inputs such as fertilisers and improved seedlings, inadequate rural infrastructure and high post-harvest losses.
She further lamented poor access to agricultural credit facilities and weak linkages between agricultural production, manufacturing, packaging and value addition.
Investment in agriculture
“To address these challenges, there is urgent need for deliberate investment in agriculture and stronger institutional support for smallholder women farmers who remain critical to food production and rural economies,” she said.
Among the key demands presented to the government were the allocation of at least 10 per cent of the state annual budget to agriculture in line with continental commitments and the establishment of a revolving agricultural credit facility to enable farmers access affordable loans.
Ehiahuruike also advocated the creation of a dedicated department or desk within government institutions to attract resources from development banks, climate finance mechanisms and special agricultural intervention funds.
She further urged the state government to consider floating Green Bonds to finance climate resilience and sustainable agricultural initiatives.
The SIDEC Executive Director also called for collaboration towards the development of a centralised farmers’ database to support evidence-based agricultural planning and policy implementation in the state.
Corroborating her position, SWOFON State Coordinator, Mrs Georgina Akunyiba, assured the commissioner that members of the association were genuine grassroots farmers committed to improving food production in the state.
Diversion by celebrity farmers
She alleged that political actors and “celebrity farmers” often divert agricultural interventions meant for real farmers, thereby denying vulnerable women farmers access to support.
“We will be counting on you to use your good office to better our lot under this administration. Government has started reaching out to us, but we still need more support like Oliver Twist,” she said.
Responding, the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget appreciated the advocacy visit and commended the groups for their commitment towards strengthening agriculture and food security in the state.
He assured the delegation of government’s readiness to support initiatives aimed at improving the welfare of smallholder farmers, particularly women.
The commissioner, however, advised the groups to channel much of their advocacy to the Ministry of Agriculture, which he noted has direct oversight responsibilities over agricultural matters.
“I appreciate the impact of climate change and worsening economic realities on farmers, especially women, and I am confident that the current administration will continue to address these challenges to ensure food security in the state,” he stated.
