By Agrobroadcast Team
Efforts to boost Nigeria’s food production are increasingly focusing on women farmers as key drivers in the adoption of improved seed varieties developed by local scientists to improve yields and strengthen food security.
Women farmers have been identified as the main channel for introducing locally developed improved seeds into Nigeria’s food production chain to ensure sustained and increased harvests across farming communities.
Currently, three improved crops Bt cowpea, Bt maize (Tela maize), and Bt cotton developed through genetic engineering by Nigerian research scientists have been officially certified by regulatory authorities.
The seeds were engineered to resist pests and diseases and also tolerate drought, making them suitable for Nigeria’s changing climate conditions. Experts say the seeds now need to be multiplied through conventional plant breeding so they can reach farmers nationwide.
To support the distribution and adoption of the improved seeds, the Sheda Science and Technology Complex (SHESTCO), through its Biotechnology Advanced Research Centre, has launched the SeedWise initiative Strengthening Engagement and Education for Community Women in Improved Seeds.
Speaking at the launch of the project in Enugu, the Deputy Director of SHESTCO, Dr. Andrew Iloh, said women farmers were deliberately selected to drive the initiative because of their critical role in seed preservation and food production.
He explained that at least 35 women farmers from Enugu and Anambra states were selected and brought together for training and interactive sessions aimed at educating them on improved seeds and encouraging adoption.
According to him, empowering women farmers with agricultural knowledge would have a multiplier effect on food production and rural development.
Although Enugu was selected for the first phase of the SeedWise project, he said the programme would be expanded across the country, with the long-term goal of turning the women into improved seed champions in their communities.
He added that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s food security drive, which prioritises increased agricultural productivity and improved farming practices.
Resource persons at the training also addressed myths and misconceptions surrounding biotechnology and genetically improved seeds, explaining the science behind the crops and their benefits to farmers and food production.
Dr. Iloh said the programme was designed to build the capacity of community women farmers on improved seeds developed through biotechnology, particularly Tela maize and pod borer resistant cowpea developed by Nigerian scientists.
He further explained that participants would also be trained in the business aspect of farming, encouraged to form cooperatives and engage in large-scale production of certified seeds to improve their income and livelihoods.
He urged farmers across the country to learn how to identify certified seeds and embrace modern agricultural technologies, noting that farming has moved beyond traditional tools and the recycling of poor-quality seeds.
He also commended the Director General of SHESTCO for approving the training programme in collaboration with partners of the biotechnology research centre.
ln his remarks, Kehinde Jimoh of the African Agriculture Foundation described the SeedWise women project as a major opportunity for the participants to gain knowledge that could improve their productivity and economic growth.
Some of the women farmers who spoke said the training had opened their eyes to improved seeds and how to identify certified seeds, noting that declining yields caused by climate change and crop diseases had made farming more difficult in recent years.
They said the SeedWise initiative came at the right time and would help them improve food production in their communities.