OUR CONTRIBUTION TO FOOD SECURITY AND RURAL WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN NIGERIA
Women in Nature Conservation Organization (WINCO), with support from the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP Nigeria), is transforming jackfruit — an underutilized and often wasted fruit — into a powerful driver of food security, nutrition, and income for rural women in Nigeria.
Through our jackfruit value chain initiative, we have empowered 3,000 rural women with skills in processing, packaging, and enterprise development. We established 1 cottage industry and 1 Women-led Jackfruit Innovation Cooperative, creating a sustainable structure for production, ownership, and income generation led entirely by women.
From this initiative, we developed 14 jackfruit pilot products, out of which 5 have received NAFDAC approval:
- Jackfruit Seed Powder
- Toasted Jackfruit Seed Powder
- Jackfruit Chips (Ripe)
- Jackfruit Chips (Unripe)
- Uncoated Jackfruit Seed Powder
These nutrient-rich, shelf-stable products improve household nutrition, reduce post-harvest losses, diversify diets, and provide affordable food options, directly contributing to food security. At the same time, they open new markets and steady income streams for rural women, strengthening their economic independence, decision-making power, and resilience.
By turning a neglected local resource into approved, market-ready foods, WINCO is proving that rural women are not just beneficiaries of development — they are innovators, producers, and leaders of Nigeria's food future.
