Rebranding the Farm: How Lagos State and Ogbonge Women are Defying the "Haggard" Narrative

For decades, a persistent and damaging stereotype has hovered over Nigerian agriculture: the image of the smallholder farmer as elderly, impoverished, and struggling at the margins of society. But in Lagos, a rebranding process has begun, one built on data, political will, and the collective power of women.

Through the Together Against Poverty (TAP) project, Oxfam in Nigeria has facilitated a landmark partnership between the Lagos State Government and the Ogbonge Women Multipurpose Cooperative. This is a blueprint for how strategic engagement with leadership can move the needle from temporary "project cycles" to permanent, institutionalized food systems.

For Hon. Commissioner Abisola Olusanya, the partnership with the Ogbonge Women forced a radical rethink of government distribution models. Traditionally, support was funneled to individual farmers in "silos," often leading to fragmented results and poor data tracking.

"The engagement with Ogbonge women actually brought about a change in the formation of how we did distribution of farm input," says Commissioner Olusanya. "We shifted toward supporting organized groups. They became the yardstick. When you see their structure, their transparency, and their data, you know these are the partners the state needs to achieve food security."

The Commissioner is adamant about rebranding the sector to attract the next generation. "A woman in the agri-sector does not need to look haggard," she asserts. "By working with these women, many of whom are ex-bankers, educators, and professionals, we are proving that agriculture is a prestigious, profitable, and sophisticated business."

While production has increased, the "downstream" sector: marketing, processing, and distribution has remained a major systemic bottleneck. To solve this, the Lagos State Government is moving beyond just providing seeds and tools; it is building the infrastructure of the future.

"The downstream has practically been ignored over the years, which is where you now have a major fault line," Commissioner Olusanya notes. In response, the administration has launched:

• The Lagos Central Logistics Hub: A state-of-the-art facility designed to streamline pricing, reduce post-harvest loss, and ensure food safety.
• The "Produce for Lagos" Initiative: A direct pipeline that connects organized cooperatives like the Ogbonge Women to middle-level hubs and last-mile markets, ensuring they maintain their margins and reach the 20 million consumers in the Lagos metropolis.

The success of the TAP project lies in its sustainability. By transitioning leaders like Oluranti Sagoe-Ovhbo into permanent directorial roles within the Ministry, the lessons learned from the project are being embedded into the state's DNA.

"We are not just looking at today," Sagoe-Ovhbo says. "We are building a system where women have a permanent seat at the table. We are making them 'bankable' and 'policy-ready.' When the government speaks about food systems, we are speaking about a future where women-led cooperatives are the primary drivers of our economy."

As Lagos continues to implement its 5-year roadmap, the partnership between the state and its "Ogbonge" (strong/authentic) women stands as a testament to what is possible when dignity is restored to the farm and data-driven policy meets the pavement.