HerLand Project

Her-Land Project is climate adaptation project that is aimed at increasing women farmers access to agricultural lands, challenge the narratives about women agricultural inputs or ancestral land ownership, and influence policies/laws around women land rights issues in Eastern Nigeria.

It sad to know that the infringement of women’s rights to agricultural lands is a major challenge to climate adaptation and food security in Eastern Nigeria. According to the Food and Agricultural organisation of the United Nations, only 4 per cent of farmlands are accessible to women with reports that this minute figure are small plots borrowed on high interests rate with low quality. The World Bank calls this dilemma a wide spread discrimination of rural women land rights in Eastern Nigeria. The Her-Land Project is primarily designed to address this.

The project activities will merge investigative journalism, digital campaigns and courtesy visits. It was launched June, 2022 with the development of innovative designs of IEC materials, a project website (currently under construction), and courtesy visit to Honorable Justice Nwankwo, Chief Judge of Ebonyi state.

Target Audience: first, women whose land rights are being denied; second, law practitioners who would commit to defend women land rights; and third, public general perspectives about ancestral land ownership.

Rural woman farmers after a discussion session of the plights surrounding women’s rights to agricultural lands and inputs in Nigeria
Group photograph with rural women farmers after a discussion session of the plights surrounding women’s rights to agricultural lands and inputs in Nigeria
Group photograph with rural women farmers after a discussion session of the plights surrounding women’s rights to agricultural lands and inputs in Nigeria
Photo with Barr Joseph Ndu at a meeting to inspire law practitioners to advocate for women land rights
Photo with Barr Emmanuel Gabadi at a meeting to inspire law practitioners to advocate for women land rights
Photo with Barr Musa Jacob, Senior Counsel at Sal Terrae Solicitors at a meeting to inspire law practitioners to advocate for women land rights
EcoSusNet Founder, Jiata Ekele Agwuh was learning more about the indigenous herbs and vegetables grown in these women small plots: they all long to have bigger farmlands but were all restricted to small vegetable plots close to their home steads.
Group photograph with rural women farmers after a discussion session of the plights surrounding women’s rights to agricultural lands and inputs in Nigeria
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Project Outcomes

  1. To develop insider stories, keep track and publish documentaries of the challenges of women land rights in Eastern Nigeria.
  2. To connect lawyers to vulnerable women especially widows who lost their farmlands after the demise of their husbands.
  3. To inspire law practitioners to commit to defend women land rights.
  4. To sensitize the public on women land rights issues through a one-year digital advocacy campaign.

Project Impact:

Globally, women are just 13 per cent of agricultural land holders (UN: SDG 5 facts and figures). However, if women farmers had the same access to tools, credit and agricultural lands like their male counterpart, there would be up to 150 million fewer hungry people in t he world (FAO Report, 2017). The developer of the Her-Land Project has imagined how the millions of women who live a life of hunger will have their own lands, their own homes, and their own vegetable plots. Increased agricultural activities of women would consequently impact welfare and education of children dependant on these women.

In summary, this project directly impacts food security (SDG2), gender equality (SDG5), SDG 3, 8, 13, 15, 16 and 17 indirectly.