Civil society organizations (CSOs) under the International Centre for Environmental Health and Development and the Grassroots Driven Climate Action by Rural Women Farmers in Nigeria have urged stakeholders to improve women’s access to resources and climate financing. This initiative aims to close the 30% gender gap in agriculture and enhance food security.
At the CSOs/NGOs Climate Finance Workshop held in Abuja on Monday, participants highlighted the need to address the gender-climate nexus affecting rural women farmers. Halima Bawa Bwari, Director of the National Council on Climate Change at the Federal Ministry of Environment, emphasized that the gender gap in agricultural productivity, documented in 2017, is likely to widen due to climate change. She called for inclusive policies, expanded financial access, and capacity building to empower women to adopt climate-resilient practices and contribute across sectors like water management, energy, and disaster response.
Oloruntosin Taiwo, National Coordinator of the Rose of Sharon Foundation, noted that agriculture constitutes over 20% of Nigeria’s GDP and employs more than 70% of the rural population. However, rural women farmers face significant challenges such as erratic rainfall, desertification, and resource scarcity. These issues threaten food security and hinder progress toward gender equality and sustainable development.
Taiwo highlighted that globally, women in agriculture face barriers like land tenure insecurity, limited access to credit, and exclusion from policymaking. Climate change exacerbates these inequalities, restricting women’s ability to achieve financial independence and adopt sustainable practices. CSOs and NGOs stressed the need for gender-inclusive policies, expanded access to climate financing, capacity building for women’s leadership in climate action, stronger partnerships between local women’s groups and policymakers, and resources and knowledge to empower women farmers while addressing land tenure issues and promoting gender equality in decision-making.
Stakeholders agreed that empowering rural women farmers through targeted climate financing and inclusive policies is essential for achieving food security, gender equality, and sustainable development in Nigeria.
