Women on the Frontlines: Gender, Security, and the Fight Against Hunger in the Lake Chad Basin
It was during one of my field visits to an internally displaced persons (IDP) settlement near Maiduguri that I met many IDPs, one of whom was a widow and mother of four. Her hands were calloused from farming, yet the plot she cultivated was barely enough to feed her family for two weeks. When insurgents attacked her village, she lost her husband and fled with nothing but the clothes on her back. In the camp, she now works part-time on borrowed land and sells firewood at the roadside. Between violent raids, shrinking farmlands, and rising food prices, Aisha embodies the untold story of thousands of women across the Lake Chad Basin who, against impossible odds, are keeping their communities alive.
A Region in Perpetual Crisis
The Lake Chad Basin spanning Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, was once a fertile, vibrant hub for fishing and agriculture. Decades of environmental degradation, coupled with insurgency and political instability, have reduced Lake Chad’s size by nearly 90% since the 1960s (FAO, 2022). The result: millions face chronic food insecurity, and displaced populations strain already fragile communities.
According to the World Food Programme, over 5 million people in northeastern Nigeria alone remain food insecure, while insurgent attacks continue to disrupt farming cycles and local markets. For many families, hunger is now as deadly as the conflict itself.
Gender Roles Under Pressure
In many rural communities of the basin, women traditionally managed households while men farmed, fished, or traded livestock. But as violence, banditry, and forced migration have emptied villages of men either killed, abducted, or displaced, women are stepping into roles once reserved for their husbands or brothers.
During my field interviews, I observed women pooling resources to rent farmland, form trading collectives, and smuggle food across dangerous routes just to sustain their children. These adaptations reflect extraordinary resilience, but they also expose women to new risks: harassment by security forces, extortion at checkpoints, and exposure to violence on remote farmlands. One woman in Diffa, Niger, told me bluntly, “If I don’t risk the road, my children won’t eat.”
The Double Burden of Hunger and Security
Hunger and security are not separate challenges; they feed each other. Conflict limits access to farmland and markets, driving up prices. Food shortages, in turn, fuel local disputes and make recruitment by armed groups more tempting. Women bear the brunt of this vicious cycle.
In some IDP camps, I saw mothers skipping meals for days so their children could eat. Others risked unsafe marriages for their daughters, hoping dowries could ease financial strain. This is not just a humanitarian issue; it is a profound gendered security crisis.
Women as Unsung Peacebuilders
Despite the hardships, women are also powerful agents of stability. In Borno State, small women-led cooperatives are rebuilding supply chains by organizing bulk food purchases and negotiating safe farming corridors with local militias. Across the border in Chad, women’s associations are training members in climate-smart agriculture techniques like drought-resistant crops and shared irrigation that reduce dependence on volatile weather patterns.
These grassroots efforts often succeed where top-down policies fail because they are rooted in trust and local knowledge. International organizations like Action Against Hunger and the International Rescue Committee increasingly recognize that empowering women is not charity; it’s a smart strategy.
Policy Gaps and Global Responsibility
Yet, gaps remain. Many government recovery plans treat women as beneficiaries rather than active partners. Donor fatigue also threatens long-term investment in the basin. Meanwhile, climate change intensifies droughts and floods, undermining even the most determined community initiatives.
Nigeria’s National Gender Policy and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 call for women’s inclusion in peacebuilding, but implementation is inconsistent. International actors must fund programs that not only feed people temporarily but also equip women with tools, microcredit, land rights, education, and security guarantees to sustain themselves.
Without meaningful investment, the basin risks perpetuating a cycle where women’s resilience is exploited rather than supported.
A Shared Moral Imperative
The Lake Chad Basin is often treated as a peripheral crisis, overshadowed by headlines from Ukraine or the Middle East. But for communities here, the struggle is existential. Aisha’s story is not an isolated tragedy; it is a daily reality for millions. And the world has a stake in their survival: hunger and insecurity spill across borders, destabilizing entire regions.
Supporting women on the frontlines is not just a moral obligation; it is a practical step toward long-term stability. As one elder in Yobe told me, “If you feed the women, you feed the village. If you protect the women, you protect the future.”
Practical Steps for Stakeholders
(i) Governments: Provide secure farming zones, streamline land rights for women, and integrate them into local security dialogues.(ii) NGOs & International Agencies: Invest in women-led cooperatives, microfinance, and climate-resilient agriculture projects.
(iii) Private Sector: Support fair-trade supply chains that connect Lake Chad products (like beans or fish) to broader markets.
(iv) Readers & Citizens: Use your platforms to spotlight the crisis, support trusted charities, and hold leaders accountable for long-term solutions.
Conclusion
The women of the Lake Chad Basin are doing more than surviving; they are redefining what survival means in the face of overlapping crises. Their courage offers a blueprint for grassroots resilience in a turbulent world.
But resilience without resources is exploitation. It is time for governments, donors, and citizens to recognize that women are not merely victims of conflict or hunger; they are central to ending both.
Aisha’s borrowed farmland may be small, but the seed she plants is larger than her plot: it is the seed of a more secure and nourished future for the basin. Supporting her and others like her is not an act of charity; it is an investment in peace.
******By SB Adams
References
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (2022). Lake Chad Basin Crisis: Urgent Call for Action.
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