Women make up between 70% and 75% of Nigeria’s agricultural labor force. However, women farmers produce 30% less per hectare than their male counterparts when output is measured by the value of agricultural produce per unit.
Why This Matters
This gap exists because women are structurally excluded from key resources. They have less access to land, credit, quality farm inputs, and training services, most of which are controlled by men. As a result, women often farm smaller plots, grow less profitable crops, and rely on lower-productivity labor, keeping them stuck in subsistence rather than modern, profitable, and climate-resilient farming.
Zoom In: Women do the full agricultural cycle. They plant, fertilize, harvest, thresh, process, distribute, and sell at retail markets. Most do this while managing households. But the system locks them out of the resources that actually make farming profitable.
Zoom Out: The forgone earnings resulting from gender gaps in agricultural productivity are estimated by the World Bank to amount to at least $2.3 billion annually.
State of Play
● The most significant problem is the lack of legal control over productive land. Only about 10% of women own land in Nigeria, compared to the 50% ownership rate among men. In certain regions, like Plateau State which is a major agricultural hub in Nigeria, female land ownership drops to as low as 4%.
● Women invest approximately 90% of their agricultural income directly into the welfare of their families, specifically targeting education, healthcare, and essential commodities.
● Access to agricultural loans remains heavily skewed toward men: a report by ActionAid Nigeria shows that only 23% of women have access to credit facilities in the agricultural sector. As banks often demand collateral or guarantors that women cannot provide.