Improving the Adaptive Capacity of Female SSF
Improving the Adaptive Capacity of Female SSFs through Access to Flexible Financial Services in Benue and Plateau States in North Central Nigeria.
– December 2014 – to date (5Years) funded by Oxfam Nigeria.
Budget: N65,000,000.00
Effective Implementation
Ensuring Effective Implementation of Programmes, Policies and Legislations that Contribute Towards Achieving Gender Equality in Nigeria by 2030.
– June 2018 – to date (9months) Sub-grant from Women Environmental Program (WEP), financed by Kingdom of Netherlands.
Budget: N600,000.00
Strengthening Smallholder Agriculture Advocacy
Strengthening Smallholder Agriculture Advocacy for inclusive policies in Benue, Nasawara and Plateau States. (April 2016-June 2017. – Funded by Trust Africa)
Promoting food and climate Justice in Nigeria
Promoting food and climate Justice in Nigeria: Empowering Small Scale Farmers to Adapt to Climate Change and Facilitating Appropriate National Policies and Programmes Response.
(April 2017 to December 2017 – Sub-grant by HEDA Resource Centre)
Supporting Displaced Communities Towards Self Reliance
Supporting Displaced Communities Towards Self Reliance
(January 2017 to December 2017 – Sub-grant by BENGONET/UNHCR)
Promoting food and climate Justice in Nigeria
Promoting food and climate Justice in Nigeria: Empowering Small Scale Farmers to Adapt to Climate Change and Facilitating Appropriate National Policies and Programmes Response.
(November 2015 to March 2016 – Sub-grant by HEDA Resource Centre)
ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED/OUTCOMES
- Formation of 450 Village Savings and loans (VS&L) groups of 11,250 members and 27 functional.
- Increased capacity of women VS&L group leaders to advocate for Agricultural credit from duty bearers.
- Women leaders empowered and engaging government on agricultural credit issues
- Increased number of women VS&L group accessing agricultural loans from MFIs, government agencies and other organizations involved in supporting women Small Scale Farmers
- Capacity Needs Assessment of Women Farmer Leaders across Benue, Nasarawa and Plateau States in North Central Nigeria.
- Sensitization on Women Leadership in Agriculture Governance in North Central Nigeria For Media Executives
- Roundtable Meeting to Identify Advocacy Issues for Women in Agriculture.
- Capacity Building for Women Farmer Leaders on Leadership, Communication and Media Engagement on Market Access.
- Advocacy Memos to Government Officials.
- Advocacy visit to parliament and Ministry of agriculture.
- Round table meeting with Government officials.
- Consultative Forum with Agro-input suppliers.
- Support to Journalist to Research and Publish Stories on the challenges of small scale women Farmers.
- Organization of stakeholders meeting on linkages of agricultural communities and agro-industries to boost food production in Benue state.
- Stakeholders’ engagement forum on gender mainstreaming in policy-making on Agriculture in Benue State
Impact to beneficiaries
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- Successfully built resilience capacity of communities Guma LGAs through sensitization, training, cash vouchering for petty business/farming, and establishment of livelihood support centres (2 Rice Mills) to support 1,400 IDPs and 1,400 individuals from the host community.
- More than 200 women groups have been empowered to assert, demand and achieve increase participation and representation in Agricultural Governance.
- More than 200 women able to lead and mentor others.
- More than 300 women educated on their rights and improvement in their leadership skills.
- At least 30 women leaders had their first experience at a national Agricultural show.
- Mrs Dorcas Awa and other women beneficiaries have gained international training, hectares of land and recognition in her communities.
- Vegetable farmers in Agboughul Community in Makurdi have better negotiating power in their local markets as a result of their cooperative union.
- Improved saving culture.
- Application of innovations to improve production.
- Improved farm records keeping and account.
- Improved investment and business opportunities recognized by the farmers.
- Livelihood status of the beneficiaries improved. Number of beneficiaries 1477
- Improved access to loan from financial institutions
- Increase capacity to generate funds through Business Development Associations (BDAs)
- More women are involved in community leadership and politics
- More women are involved in decision making
- More women are willing to publicly insist on their rights
- Most communities in Benue have relaxed their gender insensitive laws on land ownership. Number of beneficiaries over 1868
- More people are now aware of the main challenges of Agricultural development/business of the state
- More people have started investing small and medium scale agro-processing industries
- Agricultural policy and restructure have been a dominant discussion in every state stakeholders forum
- Participants unanimously agreed that Agribusiness will work only if there is a state Agricultural policy and implementation that will permit and promote agricultural market investment in the state. Participants drafted an agricultural policy document to reflect the emergence issues.
- The state ministry of Agriculture has been proactive in ensuring that the state agricultural policy document becomes a reality; number of beneficiaries 98
- 19 of the past awardees of female food heroes award have been interview,
- They have shown true leadership and role model with their communities 25
- available finance to farmers through cooperatives
- Improved saving culture and business awareness of small scale farmer; beneficiaries 5000