Abuja: Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) has called on the three tiers of government to invest in community-level storage and processing infrastructure. The organization argues that such investment would help reduce reliance on middlemen and enhance the income retention capacity of smallholder farmers.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the call was made during the presentation of a Community Scorecard titled, 'Smallholder Women Farmers (SHWFs) Access to Post-harvest Loss Reduction Support in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between 2022 to 2024'. The scorecard was presented by Chika Orji, Lead Co-Creator and Team-Lead of the Scaling Up Public Investment in Agriculture Project (SUPIA).
Orji revealed that data from the scorecard indicated that 66.7 per cent of SHWFs from Abuja Municipal, Bwari, and Kuje Area Councils rated government support for post-harvest losses as inadequate. She noted that the challenges faced by SHWFs include exploitation by middlemen due to a lack of post-harvest loss reduction facilities or support.
Other challenges highlighted include insufficient processing equipment such as rice milling and 'garri' processing machines, grain dryers, limited access to good road infrastructure, and a lack of warehouse facilities. Orji further pointed out the absence of solar panels, deep freezers, cold rooms, and other storage facilities for livestock, coupled with a reduced presence of off-takers for market opportunities. Additionally, the lack of access to markets and linkages, absence of warehouses, insecurity, safety concerns, and weak government interventions were identified.
Orji recommended that government at all levels should prioritize addressing insecurity and mitigating farmer-herder conflicts within farming communities. She also advocated for investment in the construction and rehabilitation of rural access roads to farming areas to ensure food security.
Further recommendations include expanding government interventions beyond tomato processing to include a broader range of crops, livestock value chains, and agro-processing skills for women farmers. Orji emphasized the need for policy changes to focus on agriculture by enhancing access to infrastructure that reduces post-harvest losses.
Although there were budgets allocated for agricultural extension and post-harvest loss reduction in the FCT from 2022 to 2024, Orji noted a lack of information on the actual release of these funds. She urged local and sub-national governments to ensure the full implementation of budget lines dedicated to post-harvest loss reduction and advocated for inclusive financing mechanisms such as grants, low-interest loans, or revolving funds tailored for SHWFs and their cooperatives.
The scorecard was co-created through a participatory process led by AAN and SWOFON under SUPIA across the FCT. Its objective was to assess SHWFs' access to post-harvest loss reduction support and advocate for improved access by the farmers. Orji stated that the scorecard aims to provide information on SHWFs' ratings on access to post-harvest loss reduction support to government officials, the media, and the public. Furthermore, it seeks to strengthen women's voices in governance by building their capacity to influence agricultural policies and advocate for targeted interventions that reduce post-harvest losses.