Analysis of Oxfam’s Female Food Hero Engagement Strategy: A case study of Nigeria’s Obonge Women Program

Overview

This evaluation report analyzes Oxfam’s Female Food Heroes (FFH) Initiative in Nigeria, known locally as Ogbonge Women. Since 2012, the program has celebrated and empowered women smallholder farmers through recognition, training, leadership development, and advocacy. The study confirms that FFH has enhanced women’s participation in agriculture, expanded their economic opportunities, and strengthened their leadership capacity through initiatives such as Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA), sustainable farming training, and exposure to policymaking platforms. The initiative has significantly improved women’s visibility in agriculture, enabling them to serve as role models and advocates for food security, gender justice, and rural development.

At the same time, the evaluation identifies persistent challenges. Limited and inconsistent funding, weak staffing structures, and gaps in communication and follow-up have undermined the sustainability of Oxfam’s engagement with women farmers. The absence of robust monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems, alongside reduced post-award support and declining media visibility, has constrained the program’s long-term impact. Structural barriers—such as cultural norms restricting women’s land ownership and limited access to financial resources and agricultural inputs—further compound these challenges.

The report calls for renewed investment in capacity building, alumni networks, and gender-transformative approaches, as well as stronger collaboration with government, civil society, and private sector actors. Policy recommendations include expanding training and resource access, institutionalizing follow-up and monitoring, strengthening advocacy platforms, and diversifying funding. By addressing these systemic gaps, the FFH Initiative can fully realize its potential to empower Nigerian women farmers, transform rural livelihoods, and advance inclusive and sustainable food systems.

This report is one of two evaluation studies conducted on the Female Food Heroes (FFH) Programme, designed to assess its strategies, achievements, challenges, and opportunities. Together, these evaluations provide evidence and lessons to inform the sustainability and future development of the initiative across the wider programme. You can find the study on Ethiopia here and a synthesis report of the two case studies here.