Gender, research and agro-economy: Pathway to inclusive and productive growth in Nigeria

BY PAUL DASIMEOKUMA

Women form the backbone of Nigerian agriculture. According to estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organisation, women contribute between 40 and 50 percent of the agricultural labour force. They cultivate staples, process food, trade in local markets, and sustain agro-value chains from field to household. Yet, despite carrying so much of the nation’s food system, they remain disproportionately excluded from the resources and decisions that shape the sector.

The roots of this imbalance are deep, but one major cause is consistently overlooked: the persistent gap in agricultural research and data. Too often, agrarian policies are designed without gender-disaggregated evidence, leaving out the specific realities of women who operate smaller plots, produce lower volumes, and face unique constraints in finance, technology, and extension services. Without inclusive research, the nation continues to design solutions with one eye closed.

Agricultural research in Nigeria has expanded over the years, with universities, research institutes, and civil society organisations producing valuable insights. However, much of this research still treats farmers as a single, uniform group. When women’s roles are invisible in the data, their needs become invisible in policy.

For example, research often highlights low productivity among smallholders but rarely examines how women’s limited access to land contributes to the problem. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, fewer than 13 per cent of women have secure land rights, which restricts their ability to invest in long-term improvements. Similarly, studies on access to credit and inputs rarely account for gender differences in collateral ownership, financial literacy, or social norms that prevent women from applying for government schemes.

This gap has real consequences. Policies built on incomplete research lead to incomplete results. Programmes such as Anchor Borrowers, Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES), and mechanisation interventions have all reached far fewer women than intended because early-stage research did not fully account for their barriers.

Across major Nigerian value chains: rice, maize, cassava, poultry, and horticulture, women dominate the segments characterised by intensive labour but low financial returns. They shell, sort, dry, process, and market agricultural products, but they often earn far less than men because they operate with:

limited access to modern tools; smaller quantities of inputs; weaker links to formal markets; little or no access to storage technologies.

These challenges are not theoretical. Take the example of a cassava processor in Kogi State who manages a small hand-operated mill but cannot expand because she lacks access to credit and does not own the land where her shed sits. Her productivity remains low, not because she lacks skill, but because the system around her has not acknowledged the specific constraints she faces.

Gender-responsive research helps uncover these realities and guides policymakers toward interventions that make value chains more efficient and profitable for everyone.

Climate change has introduced new vulnerabilities to Nigeria’s agro-economy. Erratic rainfall, flooding, drought, and pest outbreaks are already affecting yields. Women are disproportionately affected because they depend heavily on rainfed agriculture and have fewer resources to adapt.

Research that ignores gender misses’ critical climate-risk insights. Women’s indigenous knowledge of seed preservation, water management, and soil health is a powerful, under-documented asset. Incorporating this knowledge into climate-smart agricultural research could strengthen community resilience and inform early-warning systems.

To build a productive and resilient agro-economy, Nigeria must prioritise research that reflects the lived realities of both men and women. Gender-responsive research:

produces better data for policy and budgeting; improves the targeting and effectiveness of agricultural programmes; helps government allocate resources more efficiently; strengthens accountability and citizen engagement; supports equitable value-chain development; enhances food security through inclusive planning.

Countries that have adopted this approach, such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Kenya, have documented improvements in yields, incomes, and rural stability.

To move from analysis to action, Nigeria must take a multi-layered approach:

• Strengthen agricultural research institutions by funding dedicated gender-analysis units.
• Update national agricultural surveys to include gender-disaggregated data across value chains.
• Increase women’s representation in agricultural councils, cooperatives, and policy platforms.
• Mainstream gender in state and federal agricultural budgets, especially within extension services, mechanisation schemes, and climate-smart agriculture programmes.
• Leverage digital tools to deliver customised extension information to women farmers.
• Support civil society networks such as Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON) to generate community-level data and strengthen advocacy.

Nigeria cannot build a resilient, productive agro-economy while half of its agricultural workforce remains under-researched and under-supported. A gender-responsive approach to agricultural research is not a favour to women; it is a strategic investment in national development. When policies are informed by evidence that reflects everyone’s realities, productivity increases, markets expand, food security improves, and rural communities flourish.

The future of Nigeria’s agriculture depends on how well it listens, learns, and responds. Gender-responsive research is the bridge between the agro-economy we have and the one we urgently need.

Paul Dasimeokuma writes from the Centre for Social Justice in Abuja