By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Warri
DELTA: In the lush deltaic landscape of Nigeria’s South-South region, where rain falls generously and the soil is rich with promise, one would expect a thriving agricultural economy teeming with life, food, and prosperity. But in Delta State, the reality for many farmers especially women and youth is far from this fertile vision.
Despite their pivotal role in feeding the state’s over 5.6 million people, these farmers face an uphill battle against dwindling government support, lack of access to credit, poor infrastructure, and climate change all made worse by what activists describe as a shockingly inadequate agriculture budget.
At a recent press briefing in Asaba on April 24, 2025, the Delta State Budget Committee Group (BCG) and the Small-scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON), in collaboration with ENVIRUMEDIC and ActionAid Nigeria, laid bare the stark realities embedded in the state’s 2025 agriculture budget. The analysis was as damning as it was revealing.
“The 2025 agriculture budget amounts to just 0.96% of the total state budget,” announced Mrs. Helen Udi, SWOFON Coordinator in Delta State. “This is not only lower than last year’s 1.26%, but also a far cry from the 10% minimum agreed upon by African leaders under the Maputo Declaration.”
That 10% commitment, agreed to in 2003, was intended to reposition agriculture as the cornerstone of economic development across Africa. However, 22 years later, Delta State, like many others, is still allocating less than 1% of its budget to a sector responsible for the livelihoods of millions. In practical terms, with a population of over 5.6 million people, the state’s per capita investment in agriculture stands at just ₦1,673.40.
“This level of investment reflects a gross underappreciation of agriculture’s role in development, food security, and poverty reduction.”
Comrade Agbateyiniro Weyinmi, BCG’s State Coordinator, said, “It’s no wonder we continue to see rising food prices, rural unemployment, and poor nutrition levels across Delta communities.”
While there is a marginal increase in capital expenditure over recurrent spending indicating a will to fund tangible projectsn the total envelope remains too small to make meaningful impact. Worse still, specific line items targeting vulnerable groups such as women and youth have suffered severe cuts.
In 2024, the Mobilization of Rural Women for Sustainable Agriculture (MORWSA) programme received ₦100 million. This year, that figure has been slashed in half. For many women like Mrs. Edna Okpako, a cassava farmer in Ughelli South, this is more than a policy oversight it’s a personal loss.
“We don’t need handouts,” Mrs. Okpako said. “We need access to quality seedlings, fertilizer, and processing equipment. The MORWSA used to train us and give us small machines. Now even that is uncertain.”
The budget is equally grim for youth involvement in agriculture. The Young Farmers Club Support Team geared towards students received only ₦1 million, an amount experts describe as “symbolic at best.” On the other hand, the Youth Agricultural Enterprise Programme (YAGEP), housed under the Job Creation Bureau, was allotted over ₦2.3 billion. However, critics say this misplacement of funds obscures transparency and makes it harder to track youth-focused agricultural interventions.
Weyinmi also said, “You cannot be serious about youth empowerment in agriculture and place all your eggs outside the Ministry of Agriculture.
“This compartmentalization not only affects monitoring but also distorts the true picture of agriculture funding in the state.”
A key demand by the BCG and SWOFON is that all agric-related youth programmes be housed under the Ministry of Agriculture to allow proper oversight, consistent planning, and comprehensive evaluation. For now, allocations like the YAGEP remain outside the ministry’s purview, creating unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks and duplication of efforts.
Perhaps more concerning is the near absence of credit provision for farmers in the 2025 budget. While the FADAMA-Delta CARES programme is set to receive a paltry ₦1 million for training and support, there is no dedicated credit line for smallholder farmers. By contrast, in 2024, over ₦16 million was allocated for maize production loans alone.
For women like Grace Ugbome, a rice farmer in Warri North, this omission is disheartening.
“We need loans to expand. The banks won’t give us money without collateral,” she lamented. “And now government has stopped too. How are we supposed to grow?”
The lack of access to credit remains a perennial problem, particularly for smallholder women farmers, who often lack land titles and formal financial documentation. The BCG and SWOFON are therefore calling for the creation of a yearly Strengthening Access to Credit budget line with relaxed requirements and single-digit interest rates, specifically designed for women, youth, and farmers living with disabilities.
Farming without tools is like fishing without a net, and the 2025 budget reflects both progress and paradox in this regard. While ₦300 million was set aside for small, motorized machines and an additional ₦200 million for new tractors a significant leap from last year’s ₦15 million—the reality on ground is that many of Delta’s farmlands remain inaccessible by tractor.
“Our farms are mostly not tractorable,” said Ruth Emumejakpor, a groundnut farmer in Bomadi. “We need simple machines, like planters and weeders, that we can carry and use ourselves.”
The ministry’s effort to provide ₦450 million for land development and rural mechanization under the Agricultural Enhancement Programme is commendable. Yet, without prioritizing gender-friendly tools, much of the equipment may never reach the women who constitute over 70% of the state’s farming population.
Climate change interventions, too, have taken a dramatic hit. From ₦460 million in 2024, only ₦30 million was allocated in 2025—a 93% decrease. This sharp drop comes amid rising floods, drought spells, and unpredictable rainfall patterns, which are increasingly affecting crop yields.
“This is not just disappointing—it is dangerous,” warned environmental activist and agriculturist, Tosan Adigwe. “We need more investment in agroecology, not less. Organic farming, climate-smart techniques, and reforestation are essential if we want food security tomorrow.”
In terms of research and data, the 2025 budget makes encouraging allocations: ₦30 million for soil protection, ₦100 million for agricultural surveys, and a whopping ₦500 billion for surveying agricultural lands and properties. Still, many wonder if the large figures will translate into tangible results for the everyday farmer.
“This isn’t the first time we’re seeing big numbers for research,” said Dr. Ifeoma Obinna, an agricultural economist based in Asaba. “The challenge has always been implementation. Good data is useless if it never informs policy or reaches the field.”
Postharvest loss responsible for nearly half of Nigeria’s wasted agricultural output remains unaddressed in the 2025 budget. While MORWSA has a mandate to train women on value-chain development and provide mini processing equipment, such efforts are repeatedly hampered by delays in fund release.
“This is an old story,” said Mrs. Okpako. “They budget the money but we never see it. Our produce rots before it can be sold.”
To make matters worse, the budget for Monitoring and Evaluation a critical tool for tracking progress and ensuring accountability was slashed from ₦35 million in 2024 to just ₦8 million this year. This reduction has drawn widespread condemnation from civil society organizations who insist that without proper monitoring, even the best-intentioned policies will fail.
Looking ahead, the BCG and SWOFON are demanding stronger coordination within the Ministry of Agriculture, including the creation of a budget line specifically for oversight functions. They are also calling for the institutionalization of inclusive budgeting practices that actively involve civil society, farmer associations, and other stakeholders.
“Agriculture is the backbone of our state’s economy,” said Comrade Weyinmi. “Yet we continue to starve it of funds, ideas, and the attention it deserves. This must change if we truly want to diversify our economy and ensure food security.”
He emphasized that smallholder women farmers are not just beneficiaries they are frontline workers in the state’s battle against hunger and poverty. Supporting them, therefore, is not an act of charity but one of necessity.
As budget season approaches again, the Delta State Government stands at a crossroads. It can either continue down a path of underinvestment and lost potential, or it can plant the seeds of a prosperous future by empowering its farmers today.
For Mrs. Okpako, the choice is simple. “Give us what we need, and we will feed Delta. That is all we ask.”
The question is, Will Delta State listen this time?