During our recent participatory communication engagements in Lapai, Paikoro, Wushishi (Niger State) and Otukpo, Gboko, Oshongo (Benue State), spanning six rural communities in North-Central Nigeria, one message came through loud and clear:
Rural women farmers prefer female agricultural extension workers.
They shared that:
Female extension workers can easily enter their homes, sit with them, and explain agricultural practices face-to-face.
Women learn more effectively when taught by other women, they feel more understood and at ease.
Many male extension workers rarely visit them directly. Instead, they often rely on phone calls, which the women said is not effective for their needs.
The women strongly recommended that state and local governments recruit and deploy more female extension agents to support rural women farmers in ways that are accessible, respectful, and effective.
This insight emerged through a participatory communication approach, a model I deeply believe in and consistently advocate for. We brought women together from all six communities to engage, dialogue, and negotiate on agricultural issues affecting them directly.
As a development communicator, I’m reminded again why participatory methods are essential: they give people, not policies, the microphone.
📌 Note: I have intentionally not shared any photographs of the women. I made a commitment during our meeting to protect their privacy, and I will honor that trust.
Audu Liberty Oseni