Women farmers have taken centre stage in Cross River State as the Federal Government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) assisted Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise for the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) Project marked the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer declared by the United Nations.
By Victoria Omini- CALABAR
The celebration, held in Calabar, brought together government officials, development partners, women farmers, beneficiaries and other stakeholders to recognise the invaluable contributions of women to agriculture, food security and rural development.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Mr Johnson Ebokpo Jr, described women as key custodians of the land and major contributors to food production and household food security.
Ebokpo acknowledged the numerous challenges confronting women farmers, including limited access to land, training, finance and modern agricultural technology, but noted that women had continued to achieve remarkable results through resilience, determination and hard work.
He said the administration of Governor Bassey Edet Otu remained committed to transforming rural livelihoods, particularly through the empowerment of women and youths.
According to him, empowering women farmers has a multiplier effect on communities because successful women reinvest their earnings in healthcare, education and the wellbeing of their families.
The Commissioner disclosed that the state government was promoting climate efficient agricultural systems, modern processing equipment and greater participation of women in the coffee value chain, with the ultimate goal of developing women into experts and exporters.
He also said government was expanding access to finance through agricultural grants designed to support women led agribusinesses, while improving rural roads, deploying solar powered systems and strengthening extension services to reduce the burden of agricultural production.
In his opening remarks, the State Project Coordinator of IFAD LIFE-ND, Dr Innocent M. Ogbin, described women farmers as the backbone of food production, particularly in rural communities where their contributions sustain families and local economies.
Ogbin said the celebration was intended to spotlight the achievements of women farmers while drawing attention to persistent challenges such as gender discrimination, limited access to technology, land ownership difficulties, inadequate finance and restricted market opportunities.
He explained that LIFE-ND had placed women at the heart of its intervention through a deliberate policy of ensuring equitable representation in the selection of beneficiaries.
According to him, 2,237 of the 4,370 beneficiaries empowered by the project so far are female incubatees. The figure includes 402 women headed households, 50 female incubators and 237 women living with disabilities.
He said the figures demonstrated the project's commitment to ensuring that women, especially those in rural communities, were not excluded from efforts to transform agriculture, create livelihoods and reduce poverty.
Ogbin stressed that the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer must go beyond ceremonial celebrations, insisting that the recognition of women farmers should translate into sustained interventions that improve their productivity, income and livelihoods.
In her goodwill message, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Edema Erom, represented by Dr Helen Ejue, said women farmers deserved greater recognition for their contributions to food production, household nutrition, income generation, poverty reduction and community development.
She noted that women remained active across virtually every stage of the agricultural value chain, from production and processing to storage and marketing, yet continued to face barriers to finance, land, markets, technology, extension services and other productive resources.
She called on governments, financial institutions, development partners and private sector organisations to create a more favourable environment for women farmers to succeed.
The Commissioner urged stakeholders to increase investment in affordable financing, modern agricultural technology, market access and productive resources, while ensuring that women were adequately represented in agricultural policy formulation and decision making.
She also encouraged women farmers to embrace innovation, strengthen cooperative initiatives and take advantage of opportunities for skills development, financing and market access.
According to her, supporting women in agriculture is an investment in food security, stronger families, poverty reduction and sustainable development.
Other prominent women representing various ministries, departments and agencies, as well as members of the academia, paid tribute to the contributions of women to national development, noting that their efforts were often under recognised.
The event also featured a keynote presentation by Prof. Oluwatosin Kennedy on the theme, “Leveraging and Supporting Women Champions for Agrifood Systems Transformation.”
Outstanding incubatees received awards, while participants were treated to an exhibition of farm produce, cultural performances and entertainment.
The celebration also featured emotional testimonies from beneficiaries whose lives have been transformed through the LIFE-ND intervention.
One of them, Miriam Asuquo Okon, recounted how the project helped her overcome the difficulties she faced as an orphan struggling to establish a means of livelihood.
Okon said she learnt about the programme in her community, applied and was selected for training. She later received 1,500 fish juveniles and 50 bags of different varieties of fish feed, which enabled her to establish and expand her farming enterprise.
She said her business, Mama Meme Farm, had since expanded beyond fish farming to include rabbit and pig production, while she had also registered the company with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Expressing gratitude to LIFE-ND, Okon said the intervention had given her economic independence while creating opportunities for her to provide employment for other young people in her community.
Another beneficiary, Becky Moses Ettah, a poultry farmer, said she joined the programme after a friend encouraged her to apply.
Ettah said she underwent orientation and spent four months receiving practical training under an incubator before receiving 38 bags of feed and 250 day old chicks to commence her business.
She acknowledged that she encountered challenges along the way but said the regular monitoring and support provided by LIFE-ND officials encouraged her to remain committed to the enterprise.
According to her, the intervention had helped her overcome difficult circumstances, including the struggle to pay her child's school fees.
Ettah said she remained determined to expand her business and avoid returning to her former situation, adding that the programme had also exposed her to new opportunities, experiences and knowledge through travels and interactions with other beneficiaries.
She pledged to continue building her enterprise and contributing more meaningfully to the welfare of her family and the development of her community.
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