By Peter Uwumarogie
Some stakeholders in the agriculture sector in Gombe State have commended smallholder women farmers in the state for their contributions in boosting food security in the country.
The people made the commendation at a ceremony to commemorate the 2025 World Food Day in Gombe on Thursday.
The State Coordinator, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Gombe State Office, Mr Absalom Akwaras, said women were playing key roles in ensuring food availability in the country.
Akwaras, represented by a Principal Agriculture Officer from the ministry, Mr Daniel Madaki, said it was for their efforts that government had continued to partner and support women farmers.
He urged them to embrace Federal Government’s initiatives aimed at supporting farmers towards boosting food security and improving smallholder farmers’ incomes.
He further advised women to ensure safe use of agro-chemicals, while cultivating crops and preserving harvested farm produce.
Mr Barnabas Malle, the Gombe State Commissioner of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Cooperatives, said that women farmers were actively involved in the agriculture sector from farming to harvesting and processing.
Malle, represented by the Overseeing Deputy Director, Agric Services, Mr Jonathan Bulus, said the State Government would continue to partner women farmers in the state to actualise its food security agenda.
Speaking earlier, the state Coordinator of Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON), Mrs Airudia Mamman, Gombe State chapter, commended her members for embracing agriculture, in spite of the numerous challenges they face.
Mamman urged the State Government to continue to support women farmers by ensuring the release of budgetary allocation to its association.
“With better support, women would be better empowered to boost food availability, ending hunger and reducing household poverty,” she said.
The Chief Executive Officer of Hope Foundation for the Lonely, Mrs Sarah Yapwa, called for collaborative approach to tackling food insecurity, saying that everyone is important in the fight against hunger.
The theme of the celebration is: “Hand-in-hand for Better Foods and a Better Future”.
The event was organised by the Gombe State chapter of SWOFON, Hope Foundation for the Lonely, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry with support from ActionAid Nigeria.
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