Fifty women in Tudun Biri community, Igabi local government area of Kaduna State have benefitted from a training on climate-smart vegetable production.
It was organised by the Anti-Sexual Violence Lead Support Initiative (ASVIOL) with support from the French Embassy in Nigeria.
The three-day programme, which ended at the weekend, focused on five vegetable crops, cabbage, cucumber, okra, lettuce, and tomato, using improved hybrid seeds. It combined theoretical lessons with practical field sessions on nursery establishment, transplanting, mulching, staking, pest control and post harvest handling.
The participants received farming inputs such as improved seeds, seedling trays, cocopeat, watering cans, sprayers, biofertiliser, twine rope, and protective gear to encourage adoption.
Training manuals were also produced in Hausa with illustrations to support women with low literacy levels.
The organisers said post-training assessments recorded a 147 percent increase in knowledge compared to baseline. The programme also had a symbolic highlight when the village head joined women participants in transplanting seedlings, a gesture seen as reinforcing community support for the initiative.
The community head, Balarabe Ifira, said, “This project is a blessing to our people. Our women now have the knowledge and support to farm better, feed their families, and even earn income. We thank the French Embassy and ASVIOL Support Initiative for bringing this opportunity to Tudun Biri.”
The ‘’Seeds of Hope’’ project addresses the interconnected challenges of economic vulnerability, gender inequality and Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) in Tudun Biri, Kaduna State, a community recovering from a severe military drone attack in December 2023.
