Chika Orji says better storage and market access can unlock income, dignity, and food security.
Chika Orji has called on governments to establish community aggregation centres as a game-changer for empowering women farmers and reducing massive post-harvest losses in Nigeria.
Speaking in Abuja, the AWARD Gender in Agrifood Systems Policy (GASP) Fellow said the centres would cut waste, curb exploitation by middlemen, and prevent price dumping at farm gates.
Orji, who also works with the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria, revealed that nearly 60 million tonnes of food are lost annually due to poor storage, weak infrastructure, and policy gaps—losses that hit women farmers the hardest.
She noted that women make up about 70% of Nigeria’s 38 million smallholder farmers, yet remain undervalued and excluded from opportunities that could improve their livelihoods.
“Post-harvest losses mean lost income, education, healthcare, and dignity. Women don’t need sympathy—they need systems that work,” she stressed.
Orji urged stakeholders to invest in storage facilities, local technologies, financing, and market access, adding that empowering women farmers is key to food security and national development.
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