Women play an important role in ruraleconomic activity but face severe constraints toproductivity and socioeconomic security. Nigeria'sagriculture sector employs 35 percent of women and up to 44percent of female heads of households. Yet a number offactors constrain the expansion and diversification ofagricultural activities, including fewer rights to land thanmen, lower access to credit, and inequitable access toinputs, fertilizers, and extension services. As a result,their agricultural productivity remains lower than that ofmen and their vulnerability to food insecurity and povertyhigher. How to help female farmers increase theiragricultural productivity and expand their economicopportunities is thus a key policy question. The governmentsees its agriculture transformation agenda (ATA) as acritical tool for driving rural income growth, acceleratingthe achievement of food and nutritional security, generatingemployment, and transforming the country into a leadingplayer in global food markets. The strategy is to improvethe value chains of a number of agricultural commodities byfocusing on key aspects, including the availability andprovision of improved inputs (seed and fertilizer), supportfor increased productivity and production, and theestablishment of staple crop processing zones. With a viewto informing the design of future agriculture policies andprojects, this research investigated the experience offemale farmers in an existing agriculture developmentproject, the National Fadama Development Project (Fadama).Fadama is a community-driven development (CDD) project thataims to reduce rural poverty and increase food availabilitythroughout all 36 states and the Federal capital territoryin Nigeria. In particular, the research examines: target;performance; and empowerment of female farmers. This paperfocuses predominantly on female Fadama user groups (FUGs)involved in cassava and palm oil processing, as these arethe main crops with which women work under Fadama in Ogunstate. Section A presents the factors that facilitate andshape women s access to and performance in FUGs. Section Bdiscusses how women s increased income under the projectaffects their economic empowerment. Section C drawsconclusions on the basis of this research, laying out keyfindings and exploring their operational and policy implications.
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