By Khalid Idris.
Stakeholders in Bauchi State have called for a review of agricultural and land policies to introduce specific quotas for women and youths in the allocation of government-owned land and agricultural inputs.
They said such measures would promote equitable access to farmland, increase agricultural productivity and profitability, and encourage more women and young people to participate in farming.
The stakeholders made the call during a one-day policy roundtable on sustainable access to farmland for Women and Youths in Bauchi State, held at Yimir Hotel, Bauchi, on Monday. The meeting was organised under the auspices of the Resilient and Inclusive Agrifood Systems Empowering Women and Youth in Nigeria (RISE) Project by Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Ltd, in partnership with the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) and other consortium partners.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting, participants called for a comprehensive review of existing land and agricultural policies to provide for specific hectares or percentages of government-owned farmland to be allocated to women and male and female youths.
They also recommended that policies should place limits on the amount of land that could be allocated to an individual to prevent excessive concentration of farmland in the hands of a few people.
The stakeholders further urged the government to ensure that land allocated for industrial development is used strictly for the purposes for which it was designated.
They similarly called for land assigned to smallholder farmers and pastoralists for farming and grazing to retain its designated use and not be converted to other purposes.
On security, the participants called for improved protection around farming communities and remote farmlands to reduce incidents of theft, attacks and other threats that discourage farmers from accessing and cultivating their land.
They urged government agencies to deploy appropriate technologies in collaboration with security agencies to monitor farming areas and improve the safety of farmers.
The stakeholders also recommended community-based security arrangements and improved transportation infrastructure to reduce the cost and risks associated with travelling to and from farms.
They called for greater access to mechanisation, climate-smart agricultural technologies, improved farm inputs, extension services and affordable financing for women and youth farmers.
According to the participants, farmland allocated to beneficiaries must be fertile, accessible, secure and suitable for agricultural production.
They also recommended mechanisms to monitor the use of allocated farmland and discourage beneficiaries from leasing out land meant for agricultural production instead of cultivating it.
The stakeholders paid particular attention to persons with disabilities (PWDs), calling for deliberate and inclusive land-access mechanisms and an end to discriminatory perceptions that PWDs cannot participate effectively in agriculture.
They proposed the establishment of a PWD Land Access Committee to represent and advocate for persons with disabilities in accessing, negotiating and renting farmland, while also facilitating access to farm labour, adaptive technologies and other necessary support.
The meeting also emphasised the role of traditional institutions in addressing cultural barriers to women’s access to land.
Participants urged traditional rulers, district heads, village heads and community leaders to promote customary practices that support fair and non-discriminatory access to farmland for women, youths, PWDs and women-led organisations.
They called for the involvement of all relevant parties in the sharing of inherited land, stressing the need to ensure adequate representation of women in such processes.
They further urged traditional and community leaders to support community-based mechanisms for resolving land disputes and protecting vulnerable groups from being unfairly denied access to farmland.
Religious leaders were also encouraged to examine cultural and religious norms that may limit women’s access to land and agricultural opportunities, while working with women-led government agencies and organisations to address such barriers.
The stakeholders called on civil society organisations and development partners to intensify advocacy and policy dialogue on equitable access to land for women, youths, PWDs and women-led organisations.
They urged development partners to provide technical assistance and capacity building on land rights, negotiation, sustainable land management, climate-smart agriculture and farm business management.
They also called for stronger linkages between farmers, government institutions and traditional authorities to facilitate access to suitable farmland.
Women-led organisations and youth groups, they said, should be supported to collectively negotiate for suitable farmland and strengthen their capacity to manage and utilise allocated land effectively.
The participants further urged the establishment and strengthening of PWD-led structures capable of advocating for members’ access to land and agricultural opportunities.
They recommended documenting and sharing evidence of successful land-access interventions to guide future policies and programmes.
Women and youth groups were encouraged to strengthen collective action through cooperatives, farmer groups and other organised structures to improve their bargaining power when accessing or leasing farmland.
They were also urged to ensure that farmland secured for members is actively cultivated and properly managed rather than abandoned or leased to third parties.
The groups were encouraged to adopt climate-smart and sustainable farming practices to improve productivity, preserve soil fertility and build resilience to climate change.
They were also advised to maintain proper documentation of land allocation, tenancy and rental arrangements to reduce the risk of disputes.
The stakeholders further recommended collective access to mechanisation, farm labour, transportation, inputs and other agricultural services to reduce the cost and physical burden of farming.
The roundtable brought together representatives of relevant ministries, departments and agencies, traditional institutions, religious leaders, civil society organisations, farmer groups, cooperatives, women and youth associations, members of the Project Steering Committee and development partners.
Speaking in a welcome address, Joseph Apeh of Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Ltd said the RISE Project was a five-year initiative running from 2025 to 2030, funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and implemented by a consortium of partners across Bauchi, Kaduna and Kano states.
He said the project was designed to transform agrifood systems through inclusive, climate-resilient and market-driven growth in four priority value chains, rice, maize, groundnut and soybean.
According to him, the project is also aimed at addressing systemic barriers limiting the participation, productivity and economic empowerment of women and youths in agriculture while promoting sustainable livelihoods and resilient food systems.
Presenting findings from the Integrated Market Systems Assessment (IMSA) conducted ahead of the RISE Project, an agricultural expert, Emmanuel Ameh, highlighted several challenges restricting the participation of women and youths in agriculture, particularly barriers to accessing productive farmland.
Ameh stressed the need to ensure that women have meaningful access to and ownership of land for agricultural purposes.
He said, “This is not simply about saying that women should own land; it is about thinking critically about what we can do to ensure that women have meaningful access to land for agricultural purposes.”
He noted that women play important roles across the agricultural value chain, including planting, weeding, harvesting, processing and marketing.
“In most farming households, women contribute to different stages of agricultural production. They help with planting, weeding, harvesting, processing and marketing. Many women also engage in small-scale farming around their homes, while some have the capacity to operate on a much larger scale,” he said.
The participants agreed that achieving sustainable agricultural development in Bauchi State requires an inclusive and transparent land-access system that enables women, youths, PWDs and women-led organisations to obtain and effectively utilise productive farmland without discrimination.
They maintained that land allocation alone would not be sufficient, stressing the need to complement access to farmland with security, mechanisation, finance, inputs, extension services, transportation and climate-smart technologies.
The meeting therefore reaffirmed the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners, women and youth groups, and PWD representatives to remove barriers to farmland access and strengthen agricultural livelihoods in the state.
