No fewer than 1,554 women have been trained in vegetable and associated farming and provided with quality seeds as part of an effort to boost women’s participation in agriculture and strengthen the linkage between smallholder farmers and leading agricultural sectors.
The women, drawn from five local government areas in Jigawa State, were also trained in planting and cultivating the products in their homes or backyards.
This initiative is part of the 2024 Rain-Fed Season Agriculture Input Fair/Voucher Resumption through Catalysing Strengthened Policy Action for Health Diet and Resilience (CASCADE) project in Nigeria, funded by CARE International.
Speaking while distributing the seedlings in Fagoji, Dutse City, the capital of Jigawa State, CASCADE Project Manager Mr Isaac Ishaya said, “This is aimed at increasing access to and consumption of a healthy diet, resilience to price and climate change-related shocks, and stresses for women of reproductive age and children under five.”
Mr. Ishaya explained that “Considering the need to enhance women’s participation in agriculture, CASCADE Nigeria deemed it necessary to come up with this intervention as a strategy to address various challenges, particularly around access to quality inputs.”
He noted that “so far, here in Jigawa State, we have a target of 1,554 smallholder farmer women to benefit from vegetable-associated seeds, which include three to four varieties of vegetables as well as potatoes.”
“Our main focus is to complement and contribute to accessing efficient and sufficient food at the household level for women, with the intention of mitigating malnutrition among their children,” Mr Isaac Ishaya emphasised.
He highlighted that the organisation decided to support women of reproductive age due to the need for strengthening nutrition services for children.
Ensuring that children under five receive adequate support is crucial, as women bearing children have a significant role in this responsibility.
One of the beneficiaries, Maryam Abubakar, a mother of seven, expressed her gratitude for the gesture. She received potato seedlings and shared her appreciation with the organisation.
Maryam Abubakar stated, “I have already cleared a space in my husband’s backyard with the support of my children. As you can see, my husband and children are ready to plant the seedlings as there is enough water available.”
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