The Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) has organized a three-day safety, prevention and security awareness and management training under its ICON2 Project.

The training is a proactive effort to improve the safety and precautions of farmers and agricultural extension workers against farm and domestic accidents.

WOFAN-ICON2 Project Country Director, Dr. Salamatu Garba, said that the organization brought together stakeholders, including field officers, farmers, and media professionals, to address life-threatening incidents often overlooked on farms and in rural communities.

“This is one of the rare trainings we do for all staff. Everyone actually needs this, irrespective of status. We are looking at both home and farm accidents, as well as first aid before taking victims for emergency care,” Dr. Garba said.

She described the training held in Abuja as a wake-up call to real dangers encountered on the field, such as fainting, fires, sharp object injuries, broken limbs, or sudden attacks.

“From the farm, if there is an accident, we are working on developing an app that allows the extension worker or supervisor to press an emergency button. It should alert the nearest hospital, road safety agency, or relevant emergency service,” she added.

‘’We even urge journalists to stop using divisive terms like ‘herdsmen’ and instead say ‘livestock farmers’.’ Language matters. It fosters peace,”

The training, tagged Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT), aimed to equip participants with essential first aid, emergency response, and conflict management skills.

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It also focused on strengthening community conflict resolution skills, particularly between livestock and crop farmers. “We work with both groups and encourage mutual respect.

The HEAT training is part of a broader strategy by WOFAN to improve rural resilience and ensure food security through safe farming practices. Dr. Garba noted that follow-up training and retraining would continue in phases, cascading knowledge from national to state and grassroots levels.

On her part, WOFAN Director on strategies and innovation, Hajia Maimuna Lawal,  described the program as timely and life-saving and creates the consciousness of WOFAN in tackling security and risk management.

In a remark, “WOFAN’s focal person in Adamawa State, Mrs Petuniya Kefas, says, ” the  training has  helped me personally. There are things I used to do wrongly when responding to accidents, but now I know the right steps. It’s important to assess and stabilize the victim before rushing to the hospital,” she said.

Mrs. Kefas said she plans to replicate the training across rural areas in Adamawa, ensuring that women farmers are empowered with practical emergency response skills.

“We’ll gather them and train them just like we were trained. We’ll even invite experts to demonstrate. That way, they can help themselves and save lives,” she added.

The WOFAN-ICON2 project continues to support innovation in agriculture, rural development, and safety awareness, especially for women and youth farmers who form the backbone of Nigeria’s food production system.

The WOFAN-ICON2 project supported by Master Card Foundation is a five-year program targeting 675,000 farmers, with the goal of creating 10 million jobs in Africa and 1 million jobs in Nigeria.