By Khalid Idris Doya
Stakeholders in Bauchi State have called on the state government to strengthen policies, advocacy and programmes that promote equitable and sustainable access to farmland for women, youths, Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) and women-led organisations.
They also urged the government to establish transparent and inclusive mechanisms for the allocation and leasing of public and government-acquired farmland, with special consideration for vulnerable and marginalised groups.
The stakeholders made the call at a one-day policy roundtable on Sustainable Access to Farmland for Women and Female and Male Youths in Bauchi State, held on Monday at Yimir Hotel, Bauchi.
The meeting was organised under the Resilient and Inclusive Agrifood Systems Empowering Women and Youth in Nigeria (RISE) Project by Sahel Consulting in partnership with the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) and other consortium partners.
In his welcome address, Joseph Apeh of Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Ltd said the RISE Project was a five-year initiative running from 2025 to 2030 and funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
He said the project was being implemented by a consortium of partners with extensive experience in agricultural development and inclusive economic growth across Bauchi, Kaduna and Kano states.
According to him, the project seeks to transform agrifood systems through inclusive, climate-resilient and market-driven growth in four priority value chains including rice, maize, groundnut and soybean.
He said the project was designed to address systemic barriers restricting the participation, productivity and economic empowerment of women and youths in agriculture while promoting sustainable livelihoods and resilient food systems.
The roundtable brought together representatives of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), traditional institutions, religious leaders, civil society organisations (CSOs), farmer groups, cooperatives, women and youth associations, members of the Project Steering Committee (PSC) and other development stakeholders.
The meeting focused on identifying practical and policy-driven measures to improve access to farmland and address the challenges preventing women and youths from securing productive agricultural land.
Presenting findings from the Integrated Market Systems Assessment (IMSA) conducted ahead of the RISE Project, agricultural expert Emmanuel Ameh highlighted the challenges restricting the participation of women and youths in agriculture, particularly barriers to land access.
He stressed the need to ensure that women have meaningful access to and control over land for agricultural purposes.
"In most farming households, women contribute to different stages of agricultural production. They help with planting, weeding, harvesting, processing and marketing. Many women also engage in small-scale farming around their homes, while some have the capacity to operate on a much larger scale," he said.
During panel discussions and group sessions, the Chairman of Civil Society Organisations (BASNEC) in Bauchi State, Mr Jinjiri Garba, called for a review of existing policies and institutional frameworks to develop actionable strategies for sustainable, equitable and climate-resilient access to farmland.
He also stressed the need for stronger collaboration among government agencies, traditional institutions, civil society organisations and development partners to promote inclusive land governance and agricultural development.
Also speaking, the executive director of the Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), Bauchi State chapter, Hajiya Amina Bala Jibrin, said women continued to face serious challenges in accessing and controlling farmland.
She said women-led households and female farmers were particularly affected where farmland was controlled by male members of the household.
Bala Jibrin also expressed concern over the impact of mining activities on agricultural land and youths in several local government areas.
She said some youths allocated farmland for cultivation had abandoned farming for mining, while others leased or sold the land allocated to them instead of using it for agricultural production.
According to her, the situation has contributed to increased drug use and declining youth participation in farming, while discouraging government agencies from allocating land to youths free of charge.
A women farmer, Hannatu Haruna, said youths in Bauchi faced limited access to farmland due to high land costs, inadequate access to family and community land, unemployment and limited financial capacity to acquire or lease farmland.
The District Head of Miri, Alhaji Hussaini Abubakar Othman, identified insecurity as another major challenge confronting farmers, particularly those cultivating farmlands located deep in forests.
He said farmers also faced theft of farm produce and high transportation costs associated with travelling to and from remote farmlands.
"We also noted the need for farm mechanization, improved security and Climate Smart Agriculture," he said.
Othman emphasised the need to engage traditional rulers, district heads, village heads and community leaders in promoting equitable land access and encouraging customary practices that support women, youths and other vulnerable groups.
The Chairman of the Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities (JONAPWD), Haruna Saidu Pali, said PWDs faced additional barriers to accessing farmland, including physical accessibility challenges, discrimination, limited financial resources and inadequate consideration of their needs in community land allocation and agricultural programmes.
He said PWDs were sometimes discouraged from seeking farmland because of discriminatory perceptions about their ability to farm.
"Most of the time when we request farmland for farming activities, we always receive feedback like, do PWDs farm, or how will they farm, especially blind people?" he said.
On his part, the Chief Imam of Masjidu Imamun Nabawi, Jos Road, Bauchi, Mukhtar Aliyu Muhammad, identified cultural norms associated with religious beliefs, government confiscation of land, farmer-herder clashes, limited access to finance, weak inheritance rights, high land rental costs, lack of documentation and inadequate participation in land-related decision-making as major barriers.
He said women-led cooperatives, farmer groups and community-based organisations could play an important role in improving women's access to land, agricultural inputs, finance, markets and technical support.
He called for stronger support for such organisations to enable them to collectively advocate for equitable land access and negotiate with traditional institutions and landowners.
He also noted that some lands allocated to women and vulnerable groups appeared suitable but were actually infertile, resulting in poor harvests.
The participants called for a review of agricultural policies to include specific provisions allocating a percentage of government-owned farmland and agricultural inputs to women and youths.
They said such measures would increase agricultural participation, productivity and profitability.
They also recommended that inherited lands belonging to PWDs should remain under their control, allowing them to lease the land seasonally to persons of their choice rather than being forced to sell their inheritance or exchange it for clothing and other perishable goods.
The stakeholders called for urgent attention to land degradation, particularly the impact of mining activities in several LGAs, and urged the government to develop measures to mitigate its environmental effects.
They resolved that lands allocated by the government for industrial purposes should be used strictly for their intended purposes, while lands designated for smallholder farmers and herders for grazing should not be diverted to other uses.
The participants also called for a review of land policies to establish a specific hectare limit for individual land allocation or ownership in order to reduce excessive concentration of farmland in the hands of a few individuals.
They further advocated improved security around farming communities and remote farmlands to reduce theft, attacks and other threats discouraging farmers from cultivating their land.
The stakeholders recommended the use of technology and collaboration with security agencies to monitor farming areas and protect farmers. They also called for community-based security arrangements and improved transportation networks to reduce the risks and costs of travelling to and from farms.
The meeting further called for improved access to farm mechanisation, climate-smart agricultural technologies, improved inputs, extension services and affordable financing for women and youth farmers.
Participants stressed that farmland allocated to beneficiaries should be fertile, accessible, secure and suitable for agricultural production.
They also recommended mechanisms to monitor the utilisation of allocated farmland and discourage beneficiaries from leasing out government-allocated land instead of using it for farming.
For PWDs, the stakeholders called for appropriate land-access arrangements, farm labour, adaptive technologies and other support to enable them to participate meaningfully in agriculture.
The participants urged traditional institutions to promote customary practices that support fair and non-discriminatory access to farmland for women, youths, PWDs and women-led organisations.
They called on traditional leaders to ensure that all parties are consulted during the distribution of inherited land and that women are adequately represented.
They also urged district heads, village heads and community leaders to address cultural barriers limiting women's participation in land ownership and agricultural decision-making.
Traditional institutions were encouraged to support community-based mechanisms for resolving land disputes and protecting vulnerable groups from being unfairly denied access to farmland.
They were also urged to work with relevant stakeholders to improve security around remote farmlands and ensure that the fertility, accessibility and suitability of land are considered before allocation or leasing.
The participants further called on traditional leaders to promote community acceptance of PWDs as active farmers and discourage discriminatory perceptions about their ability to engage in agriculture.
The stakeholders called for greater engagement with religious leaders to address cultural and religious norms that may restrict women's access to farmland.
They recommended the involvement of prominent women-led government agencies and organisations in advocacy and dispute-resolution efforts, noting the role played by FOMWAN and the wife of the governor in facilitating dialogue and resolving disputes.
They urged religious leaders to use their platforms to promote equitable access to land and support advocacy for women and other vulnerable groups.
The participants called on civil society organisations and development partners to support advocacy and policy dialogue aimed at improving inclusive and equitable land access for women, youths, PWDs and women-led organisations.
They urged them to provide technical assistance and capacity building on land rights, negotiation, sustainable land management, climate-smart agriculture and farm business management.
They also called for stronger linkages between farmers, government institutions and traditional authorities to facilitate access to suitable farmland.
The stakeholders recommended support for women-led organisations and youth groups to collectively negotiate for suitable farmland and strengthen their capacity to manage allocated land.
They further called for the establishment and strengthening of PWD-led structures that can advocate for members' access to land and agricultural opportunities.
Civil society organisations and development partners were also urged to document and share evidence from successful land-access interventions to inform future policies and programmes.
Women and youth groups were encouraged to strengthen collective action through cooperatives, farmer organisations and other organised structures to improve their bargaining power when accessing or leasing farmland.
They were urged to ensure that farmland secured for their members is actively cultivated and properly managed rather than abandoned or leased to third parties.
The groups were also encouraged to adopt climate-smart and sustainable agricultural practices to improve productivity, preserve soil fertility and build resilience to climate change.
They were further urged to strengthen collaboration with traditional institutions, government agencies and development partners and actively participate in land-related dialogues and decision-making processes.
The participants also advised farmers to maintain proper documentation and records of land allocation, tenancy and rental arrangements to reduce disputes.
They encouraged women and youth groups to explore collective access to mechanisation, farm labour, transportation, agricultural inputs and other services to reduce the cost and physical burden of farming.
The committee would also facilitate arrangements for farm labour and other support required by PWD farmers.
The roundtable provided an important platform for women, youths, PWDs, traditional institutions, women-led organisations, government representatives, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to examine the challenges affecting equitable and sustainable access to farmland in Bauchi State.
Participants agreed that land allocation alone would not solve the problem, stressing the need to ensure that farmland is fertile, accessible, secure, affordable and suitable for agricultural production.
They also emphasised the need to provide farmers with complementary support, including mechanisation, finance, agricultural inputs, extension services, transportation and climate-smart technologies.
The meeting underscored the important role of traditional institutions in shaping land-access practices and resolving community-level disputes.
Participants agreed that sustained collaboration among government institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners, women and youth groups and PWD representatives was necessary to achieve lasting improvements.
They further emphasised the need to address cultural norms affecting women's access to land, particularly where such practices intersect with religious beliefs and customary traditions.
The stakeholders therefore reaffirmed the need for an inclusive, transparent, equitable and sustainable land-access system in Bauchi State where women, youths, PWDs and women-led organisations can access and effectively utilise farmland without discrimination.
They said implementing the resolutions would strengthen agricultural livelihoods, improve food security, promote climate resilience and ensure that vulnerable groups are not left behind.
0 Comments