By Felicia Imohimi
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has estimated that gender inequality in Nigeria’s agricultural productivity costs the country about $2.3 billion annually, equivalent to two per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The FAO Officer-in-Charge of its Representation in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Jimmy Owani, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Owani said closing the productivity gap between men and women in agriculture could accelerate Nigeria’s agricultural transformation, strengthen food security and promote inclusive economic growth.
He called for urgent measures to expand women’s economic power and leadership in the agrifood system, describing investment in women farmers as both a social and economic imperative.
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer to recognise women’s contributions to agrifood systems and accelerate efforts to remove barriers limiting their participation.
“Women are at the heart of agrifood systems,” Owani said.
He cited FAO’s State of Women in Agrifood Systems report, which estimates that women account for about 41 per cent of the global agrifood workforce and contribute as farmers, livestock keepers, fishers, processors, traders, entrepreneurs and innovators.
Despite their contributions, he said women continued to face significant inequalities in access to productive resources, finance, services, technology, markets and decision-making opportunities.
“FAO estimates that closing gender gaps in productivity and wages can add nearly one trillion US dollars to the global economy and reduce food insecurity for millions,” he said.
Owani said agriculture contributes between 22 per cent and 25 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP and supports more than 70 per cent of rural households, making women’s participation critical to the country’s food security and economic development.
He said women accounted for an estimated 37 per cent of labour in crop production but remained disadvantaged in access to land, finance, agricultural services, improved technologies and leadership opportunities.
The resulting productivity gap, he said, was not caused by differences in ability but by unequal access to resources.
“Women contribute an estimated 37 per cent of labour in crop production alone. Yet many continue to face barriers in accessing land, finance, agricultural services, improved technologies and leadership opportunities,” he said.
According to him, female-managed farms often record lower productivity because women lack equal access to inputs and other resources required to maximise agricultural output.
“The cost of inequality is about two per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, which is an untapped opportunity to accelerate agricultural transformation and inclusive growth,” he said.
Owani urged stakeholders to move beyond recognising women’s contributions and create greater opportunities for them to participate as decision-makers, innovators, investors and leaders.
He specifically called for stronger representation of women in producer organisations, cooperatives, agribusinesses, financial institutions and policy platforms.
“Let us move beyond recognition to action. Let us commit to removing the barriers that constrain women’s potential, expanding opportunities for women-led enterprises, strengthening women’s leadership and ensuring that no woman farmer is left behind,” he said.
Owani said empowering women farmers would produce benefits beyond individual households by strengthening rural economies and communities.
“Because when women farmers succeed, families prosper. When women-led businesses grow, rural economies flourish. When women lead, communities become stronger,” he said.