According to a news report from Voice of Nigeria, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has advocated for increased budgetary allocation to support small-holder farmers in Kwara State, situated in the North-Central region of Nigeria.

The coalition emphasised that such augmentation would facilitate more efficient planning and implementation of government interventions within the agricultural sector.

During a press briefing in Ilorin on Monday, the CSOs scrutinised the 2024 Kwara agriculture budget, highlighting concerns over its inadequacy.

Representing the CSOs, Mr Abdurrahman Ayuba, the Executive Director of the Centre for Community Empowerment and Poverty Eradication (CCEPE), underscored the significant disparity between the allocation for agriculture in 2024 compared to the previous year, 2023.

�The budget in 2023 was 2.12 per cent, while that of 2024 is just 1.49. There was a drop of 0.63 per cent. The 1.49 per cent is far below the international benchmark.

�We, therefore, urge the government to increase its agriculture budget to meet the 10 per cent Maputo/Malabo Declaration and Commitment.

�Also, there should be improved budgetary provision for the small-holder farmers, for hand-held devices, such as mini-tractors, weeders and planters, which will reach more farmers than the big tractors they find difficult to access and maintain.

�We, however, observed that in the 2024 agriculture budget, women in agriculture, received N11,379,900, which represents 0.26% of the total budget.

�This is commendable, when compared to what was provided in the year 2023, which was a paltry sum of N3,000,000; this is encouraging,� he said.

Equipment & Training

Ayuba called on government to do more for women in agriculture, especially in the area of women-friendly farming equipment and value addition.

�We advise the state government to also seek collaboration with relevant stakeholders, like National Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation, NCAM, for production of farmer- friendly equipment like mini-tractors, weeders, etc,� he said.

He recommended continuous training for women farmers on modern farming techniques and best practices in order to increase productivity in the agriculture value chain.

�The committee has observed persistent zero budgetary allocation for farmers on access to credit; we encourage the government to allocate funds to this key area.

�The funds can be used for capacity building by the ministry of agriculture and natural resources to educate women farmers and support them on how to access available credit facilities with commercial banks and microfinance banks,� he said.

The CSOs like Welfare for Children and Teenagers Initiative, Fulfilling Dreams Foundation, Worthy Life Education/Health Foundation and FEMCOM were represented at the occasion.