On a planet with enough food for everyone, 821 million people – one in nine – go hungry day after day, year after year. It doesn't have to be this way. An innovative Oxfam project shows how local women farmers can help end world hunger.

Putting women farmers in the spotlight

In many developing nations, women make up the majority of producers and farmworkers and play a transformative role in agricultural development and increasing food security. But their contribution is often undervalued and they face a number of challenges.

Launched by Oxfam and local partners, The Female Food Heroes initiative is an annual award that identifies and champions women food producers who are examples of what millions of women around the world are doing to ensure food security.

In this project, women are selected by showcasing their knowledge and skills as small-scale farmers. These women then compete against each other and try to pass several tests successfully. Every week, one participant is eliminated until one is left and declared the winner.

With a variety of contests and events, the award celebrates outstanding women farmers who have overcome challenges and made significant, lasting contributions to their communities.

It highlights the role of these women and raises awareness around their achievements and the issues they face. It challenges gender norms and discrimination around women’s and men’s roles. It gives the women an opportunity to share their expertise and to deepen their ties with regional and national governments and other key stakeholders.

The project offers women a stronger voice to disseminate their message and encourages women in similar situations to take control of their lives and commit to their own small agricultural initiatives.

Goal and Objectives of the scheme

The overall goal of the scheme is to promote the role of women food producers and the importance of women’s contribution to food security. Specific objectives include:

  • Recognize and promote the contribution of women in providing food for their families and their communities.
  • Educate the wider public on the challenges smallholder farmers face in producing a reliable food supply, particularly problems of women food producers.
  • Elevate the status of women in their families and their communities.
  • Share skills and best practices in farming and food distribution.
  • Highlight policy and practice changes needed to ensure a more stable food supply and assist female farmers.
  • Organize women farmers and build a platform to speak for them to speak for themselves to leaders and the public.
  • Help women farmers partner with celebrities and other allies to advocate for policy changes.
  • Engage youth in understanding and honoring the lives of rural farmers and their role in providing the food supply for the country. 

Eligibility:

  • Female farmers between the ages (of 17 – 65) years.
  • Female farmers from every part of Nigeria.
  • Female farmers in primary production/farming: this includes single cropping, multiple cropping, livestock farming, mixed farming, and processing and value addition. 
  • Female farmers in processing, packaging, and value addition.
  • Female farmers in farm produce trading and or marketing.

1.3.  General Instructions

  • For this award, only small-scale female farmers will be eligible to enter this competition. Oxfam defines a small-scale female farmer as “a female farmer who farms on a piece of land, not more than 3 hectares without using advanced or expensive technologies and makes not more than N500,000.00 (five hundred thousand naira) annually. 
  • The deadline for submissions is 7th May 2024. Nominations received after this date will not be considered.
  • Entries can be completed in English, Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo, or Yoruba. Farmers who cannot complete the form independently can seek external assistance.
  • Entries will not be at a disadvantage due to grammatical errors. However, an effort should be made to provide as much evidence as possible.
  • It is strongly advised that a photo(s) illustrating the nominee's work should be attached to the completed form as evidence. A team of inspectors would physically visit these locations to verify the authenticity of the photo(s) without necessarily giving prior notice to the applicant.
  • Softcopy nominations should be submitted via email as attachments to nominationffh@oxfam.org. In contrast, hard copies should be submitted to the nearest Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, ADP office, or as an individual/group to the nearest Oxfam office.

About the Project:

https://www.oxfam.org/en/celebrating-women-farmers-oxfams-female-food-heroes-competition

 

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