When women are empowered, the level of poverty in the society is reduced; this is because women invest about 90% of their income from their agricultural earnings in the family, while men only invest about 35% of their earnings. When women are empowered, the level of poverty in the society is reduced; this is because women invest about 90% of their income from their agricultural earnings in the family, while men only invest about 35% of their earnings.
Agricultural and educational empowerment programmes focused on rural women will significantly improve the lives of women economically and also the well-being of individuals, families and the rural communities.
Women are actively involved in every part of the agricultural value chain in Nigeria, from the distribution of farm produce after they are harvested, to the transportation of the farm produce, processing of the agricultural produce in the informal and small-scale level and in the sales of the final product at the retail market where it gets to the final consumer.
A study carried out on the involvement of women in agriculture in Nigeria showed that to attain increased agricultural productivity the full participation of women is required, which can be achieved by recognizing women as the subjects of development.
Research has also shown that women possess more knowledge of traditional water adaptation processes that can enhance crop yield and reduce the effect of adverse conditions that may affect agricultural activities such as flooding. In 2020 alone, Babban Gona provided support for 27,373 female smallholder farmers by providing training, financial credit, farm input and harvest & marketing support.
Accordingly, the National survey on MSME conducted in all the 36 states and FCT by SMEDAN/NBS, revealed that there are 39,654,385 MSME’s out of which Agricultural performance stood at 38.4% and generating 61.1% of employment in MSME sub-sector. Agriculture has contributed to GDP growth in Nigeria in a consistent manner. The sector experienced buoyant growth in past two years, accounting for a sizable 18.8% (2021-22) and 3.9% in (2021-22), suggesting immense unrealized potential. Investment in agriculture can guarantee food security, have the potential to be a major contributor to job creation, and save on the foreign exchange required for food imports. Successful harvest will also help to reduce inflation and promote economic diversification.
Agriculture is broadly divided into four sectors in Nigeria, crop production, fishing, livestock and forestry. Crop production remains the largest segment and it accounts for about 87.6% of the sector total output. This is followed by livestock, fishing and forestry at 81%, 3.2% and 1.1% respectively. Agriculture remains the largest sector in Nigeria contributing an average of 24% to the Nations GDP over the past seven years (2013-2019). In addition, the sector employs more than 36% of the countries labour force, a feat which ranks the sector as the largest employer of labour in Nigeria.
The share of agriculture in Nigeria’s total export earnings remains small compared to crude oil export. For instance, in 2019, agriculture accounted for less than 2% of total exports relative to crude oil (76.5%). Nigeria’s major agricultural exports include wheat, sugar, fish and milk, while the main agriculture exports include sesame seeds, cashew nuts, cocoa bean, ginger, frozen shrimp and cotton.
It was based on the above and that the “agri-business development and empowerment programme (ADEP)” was conceive by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (SMEDAN) in partnership with JJIL to undertake National Agripreneurship Training Scheme (NATS) to provide functional knowledge and skill-upgrade to start ups and existing agricultural value-chain cooperatives and societies / commodities associations and educational institutions across Nigeria to unleash and reinforce agricultural transformation for Food-security and improve agricultural export earnings.
The Nigeria Multidimensional Poverty Index (2022) is a frontline effort at creating an evidence-based, Data Demand and Use strategy for achieving the Presidential mandate of lifting 100 million out of poverty in a decade. Furthermore, as it relates to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 Agenda, ‘leave no one behind’, it shows the interlinkages of deprivations experienced by poor people: No Poverty (SDG 1); Zero Hunger (SDG 2); Health and Well-being (SDG 3); Quality Education (SDG 4); Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6); Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7); and Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11).
The Nigeria MPI brings many concerns together into one headline measure and focuses on people who are being left behind in multiple SDGs at the same time. It is also reported as SDG Indicator 1.2.2. Given these initiatives and especially because of MPI, Nigeria is on track to achieve the global targets of the SDGs as well as those set nationally. To ensure sustainability, the Nigeria MPI has since been adopted as the national measure for poverty that complements monetary measurements. This adoption is reflected in the National Development Plans (2021–26 and 2026–30), and the 10-year programme of the NPRGS.
The MPI data from report provide insightful information at national and state levels, placing at the disposal of actors and policymakers a tool to pinpoint levels of deprivations experienced by people up to senatorial districts, the kind of policy changes required for the reforms needed, and the need for State and private sector participation to move the needle with every targeted investment effort. The Nigeria MPI is thus positioned to play a pivotal role in the hands of discerning stakeholders: policymakers at various levels of government, academia, civil society and the public. The Nigeria Poverty Map (NPM) has been created as a more user-friendly version of this report and visually presents the data findings for each indicator, State, senatorial district, and disaggregated analyses related to: children, gender, and people living with disabilities, among others.
