Kaduna Gives Free Fertilizer to 150,000 Women Farmers

For Amina Suleiman, a small-scale farmer who grows maize, rice, and beans in Kaduna State, Nigeria, receiving two free bags of fertilizer marks a milestone she never expected to reach.

"This is the first time I am benefiting from a government agricultural intervention," she said at the Babban Dodo distribution center in Zaria, where hundreds of women farmers gathered to collect supplies that could transform their harvests.

Governor Uba Sani's administration is distributing 500 truckloads of free fertilizer to 150,000 smallholder farmers across all 23 local government areas. The program specifically targets women and young farmers who've been hit hardest by rising farm input costs.

The focus on women matters deeply in a state where agriculture drives 38 percent of the economy. Women handle much of the crop production, livestock care, processing and marketing, yet face steep barriers to success.

Only 4.7 percent of women in Kaduna independently own agricultural land, and most struggle to access credit, training, and supplies. For women cultivating small plots or growing food around their homes, two bags of fertilizer can directly boost what they harvest and earn.

The distribution system ensures fairness by selecting 10 farmers from each polling unit, with a new formula guaranteeing women and young farmers are well represented. Three centers in Zaria alone serve both village and urban communities.

Hadiza Ibrahim, who grows tomatoes in her backyard while her husband cultivates maize, said the fertilizer helps both their farms thrive. Masa'uda Aliyu said receiving support made her feel recognized as a farmer, giving her hope that continued programs could lift smallholders out of poverty.

The Ripple Effect

This marks the third straight year of fertilizer support, building momentum that reaches far beyond individual farms. When women farmers increase their yields, they strengthen food security for entire communities while generating more income for their households.

The program distributed fertilizer to 100,000 farmers in 2025 and over 500 truckloads in 2024, creating a sustained pattern of support. Vice Chairman Abdulkareem Kamilu of Sabon Gari emphasized that the fertilizer is completely free, urging all selected farmers to collect their supplies.

Bashir Baban-Kwanbo, who cultivates maize on a small plot near his home, thanked the government and asked for the program to continue helping farmers afford what they need to grow. Ashiru Mohammed, a cabbage farmer, said the support could boost his output for multiple growing seasons ahead.

For 150,000 farming families across Kaduna, this intervention arrives exactly when the cost of seeds, fertilizer, and inputs threatened to shrink the land they could afford to cultivate and the food they could produce.