Programme Officer/Communications Focal Level at Smallscale Girls Farmers Group in Nigeria (SWOFON) and AWARD GASP Coverage Fellow, Chika Orji, has raised the alarm that post-harvest losses is among the greatest structural boundaries that retains ladies farmers excluded from full participation within the society.
Chike famous this in an interview with Blueprint to commemorate the 2026 Worldwide Girls’s Day celebration, with theme: “Give to Acquire”.
She stated as much as 60 million tonnes of meals produce are misplaced to put up harvest, as a consequence of weak infrastructure, poor storage and preservation services, coverage somersaults and non-implementations, coaching and expertise, entry to finance and market, center males, social exclusion.
She stated “Past the celebration, we should ask, are smallholder ladies farmers who feed our nation and contribute considerably to Nigeria’s GDP actually seen, valued, included, dignified and collaborating absolutely in society?
“Do you know there are 38 million Small Holders Farmers in Nigeria and 70% represent of Small Holders Girls Farmers? Do you know 150 million tonnes of meals are produced yearly by them ?
She known as on the necessity for coverage frameworks that work for actual ladies, not reviews, practical extension companies, group aggregation centres, and women-centred infrastructures.
She sald these will cut back exploitation by middlemen, forestall farmgate worth dumping, and cut back infrastructure burden on each authorities and smallholder farmers particularly ladies.
She additionally known as for homegrown storage, preservation programs, and Homegrown applied sciences, including that his will create jobs for ladies, youth and everybody.
“Small holder ladies farmers want entry to finance, market entry and cordinated programs, as a result of that is about meals safety, that is about Inclusion, that is about dignity, that is about programs change and that is about Nigeria, and Africa’s future.
“So, on this Worldwide Girls’s Day, allow us to Give to Acquire. Give coverage implementation that work not coverage somersaults, give and cross the reserved seats invoice for ladies, give inclusion, give funding and provides visibility,” she stated.