The interests of women farmers in Nigeria will gain extra attention through a newly created division within the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, reports the Daily Trust.

“Female farmers are important participants in all sub sectors of agriculture, namely crops, livestock, fisheries and agroforestry,” says Dr Olubunmi Idowu Yetunde Ajan from the University of Ibadan.

Women and youth make up 60 percent of Nigeria’s population and women in rural areas of the country contribute an estimated 60 to 80 per cent of labour used in subsistence food production. The government, through its Agricultural Transformation Agenda, wants to make sure they are major players in creating a new direction for agriculture in the country that will ease millions out of poverty. The emphasis is on shifting agriculture from purely subsistence to becoming a business whereby food production is increased and value chains developed to avoid the reliance on imports.

As part of the changes, more than 1,000 women farmers will be trained in modern agricultural practices to boost their productivity and a special loan scheme introduced solely for female farmers.

Read the full story: Enhancing agric transformation through women