Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON) has expressed concern that the socio-economic effects of insecurity across the country have led to a reduction in crop yield and income of farmers.
SWOFON also noted that it has equally led to the displacement of farmers, loss of lives and properties and loss of products.
The women farmers further said the situation if not properly addressed could lead to food insecurity as women farmers can no longer go to their farm for fear of losing their lives.
Some of the women farmers while narrating their experiences at a press briefing organized by SWOFON in collaboration with Actionaid Nigeria under the Women Voice and Leadership Nigeria (WVL-N) Project, emphasized the need for the government and security agencies to addresses lingering security issues and find a lasting solution to the menace.
SWOFON’s Secretary in Kuje Area Council, Nnanna Mercy, while narrating her ordeal said she lost five hectares of cassava farm to herdsmen attack.
According to her, the the attackers literally uprooted the cassavas and fed the animals, noting that it was a huge blow to her, as she only discovered the attack the day she took ready buyers to the farm to sell the produce.Noting that over 70 percent of the entire agricultural labor force is dominated by women, SWOFON appealed to governments at the national level and the security agencies to intervene to save them from shocks occasioned by the losses.According to them, there is an urgent need for small time women farmers to engage security agencies and community stakeholders in order to find a lasting solution to the quagmire.
They called on the need for the police to build Trust and Improve on Police-Community Relations, the need to create and support local vigilante/policing groups, as well as the need for government to as a matter of urgency to promote and train farmers on the importance of climate-smart agriculture and agriculture sustainability.
