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Summary
On this International Day of Rural Women, we honour the women who feed Nigeria yet remain unseen, demanding land rights, fair wages, and inclusion in national decisions.
It’s International Day of Rural Women today, 15th of October, a day to recognise the women whose labour sustains the roots of this country. Across Nigeria, rural women rise before dawn to farm, trade, and nurture communities that rely on their strength. They plant the seeds, tend the crops, and fill the markets that keep families and cities alive. Yet, their work remains undervalued and their voices unheard in the spaces where decisions about their lives are made.
According to the African Development Bank, nearly 70 percent of Nigeria’s agricultural labour force is made up of women, most of them in rural areas. They grow the yam, process the cassava, and carry the food that fuels the nation. Without them, what would happen to the markets that feed our cities? What would become of the families that depend on their harvests? These women are the backbone of Nigeria’s food system, yet they are also among the most economically marginalised.
Only about one in five landowners in Nigeria is a woman. Many rural women cannot inherit land or access agricultural credit. Policies that are supposed to empower farmers often stop short of reaching them. In addition, extension services, training programmes, and financial opportunities are designed with men in mind. They work long hours with little support, often exposed to harsh weather, unfair prices, and exploitative labour conditions. Their contribution to national food security is constant, but their share of its rewards is almost nonexistent.
Regardless, they keep creating pathways where none exist. In Benue and Niger States, women melon processors who adopted improved melon seed shelling technology recorded significant gains in income and productivity, proving that access to innovation can change lives. In a Local Government Area of Benue, rural women dominate soybean processing and marketing, sustaining their families through self-organised workgroups. In addition, the National Root Crops Research Institute recently trained over 1,000 women farmers and processors in the South-West to strengthen cassava value addition and food security. These women will be saving entire communities.
However, endurance is not the same as empowerment. Rural women have learned to survive with very little, but survival should not be their only option. They deserve land rights, fair wages, and equal access to opportunities. In addition, they must be included in the conversations and policies that shape the agricultural future of Nigeria.
Can Nigeria truly achieve food security while the women who produce its food remain invisible? The answer is clear. To celebrate them today is not enough; we must confront the inequality that keeps them struggling in silence. These women have built economies from the ground up, often with no recognition. It is time to build a country that stands with them, not one that watches them carry its weight alone.
