As reported by Nigerian Tribune, Women farmers in Kwara State, operating under the banner of the Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON), have appealed to the state Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) through the Women In Agriculture (WIA) department for the provision of agriculturally gender-friendly machines. These tools, they argue, would make farm work easier, reduce labor costs, and improve productivity.

During the presentation on Friday, Mrs. Elizabeth Ndako and Mrs. Titilayo Ade Salami, the state coordinator and secretary of SWOFON respectively, highlighted the pressing needs of women farmers, particularly those with disabilities. They called for the state government's assistance in providing equipment tailored to women with disabilities, as well as boreholes and pumping machines for easy irrigation on their farms.

In addition, the women farmers urged the inclusion of specific initiatives in the 2025 agricultural budget, such as "training and education on adaptive farming techniques" and "accessible agricultural information and resources, including braille materials and audio descriptions."

“Our request also include; power tiller: Instead of waiting for tractor, we will use the tiller for plough. Harrow and ridgers, planters, weeding machine: grass cutting machine: These machines can be used in the cassava, cash crops plantation.

“For rice processing, we will need paddy huller machine, The de-stoner, rice polishing machine, packing machine and sealer for easy packaging.

“For garri processing: Grinding machine and Jack.

“For the farmers with disability: Flashing light for safety signal (e.g Tractor backup alerts) for farmers with hearing impairment, adaptive tools with tactile markers (e.g raised lines, different textures), Trained guide animals for mobility assistance, Protective clothing and gear (e.g hats, gloves, sunglasses) for sun protection, and modified equipment controls (e.g. joystick controls, pedal-operated tools).”

Responding after the presentation of the request, the managing director Kwara ADP, Dr. Ahmed Ayinke Khadijat, assured that the requests would be passed to appropriate quarters for possible inclusion in next year budget.

The Kwara ADP managing director also informed the women farmers of such opportunity of an upcoming training programme on how to prolong storage and shelf life of soya bean cake, packaging, among other activities of the agency at Women in Agriculture (WIA) unit.

Also speaking, the Director, Women in Agriculture (WIA), Mrs. Elemosho Rafat, said such training programme would equip the women farmers with knowledge on how to export processed agriculture value chain products outside the country with aim of increasing sources of their income.

The agric officials, who encouraged the women farmers to attend the programme, said that they should step down the knowledge acquired during the training among their members.

In his remark, the Coordinator, Scaling up of Public Investment in Agriculture (SUPIA) project, Mr. Abdurrahman Ayuba, said the advocacy visit to the ADP is a collaborative efforts among the organizations to see to improved inclusion of stakeholders in agriculture budgeting, improved agriculture production and ensuring food sufficiency in the state.