Lucy Odo Ede still remembers the long days that seemed to never end. On her rice farm in Ihenyi community, planting season meant bending for hours under the sun, working slowly through the fields with nothing but her hands. “Before, I spent months planting rice by hand,” she says. “Sometimes it took me up to three months, and by the end of the day, my body would be too tired to move.” For Lucy, a 45-year-old mother of five, farming was not just work, it was survival. But the way she farmed left her exhausted, with little time for rest, family, or anything beyond the next day’s labour.
Like many rural women farmers, Lucy’s challenge was not a lack of effort but a lack of access. Improved farming tools were out of reach, and formal financial systems rarely worked for women like her. Nationally, only about 23% of women in agriculture can access formal credit, leaving the majority excluded. “I knew there were better ways to farm,” Lucy reflects, “but I could not afford the tools, and no bank would give me money.” Her story reflects a wider pattern, where structural barriers, not ability, limit women’s productivity and opportunities.
The shift began when Lucy joined a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) group supported by ActionAid and JDPC. Through the group, she gained more than financial access, she found a system built on trust, solidarity, and shared growth. “When I joined the VSLA, I started saving small amounts,” she explains. “It gave me confidence that even with little, I could do something bigger.” With this collective support, Lucy accessed a loan of ₦75,000, something she had never imagined possible before.
That loan marked a turning point. Lucy invested in a rice planter, a simple but powerful tool that transformed her work. “With the planter I bought through the VSLA, I now finish planting in one month,” she says. “It has given me more time, more harvest, and more hope.” What once took up to three months of intense labour now takes a fraction of the time, freeing up nearly two months for rest, family care, and other productive activities. Beyond the immediate impact, Lucy quickly repaid her loan, demonstrating how access to the right resources, at the right time, can unlock both productivity and resilience.
Today, Lucy’s story is not just about change on her farm, it is about leadership within her community. As an active VSLA member, she encourages other women to save and invest in their futures, using her own experience as proof of what is possible. “I tell other women that small savings can lead to big results,” she says. “If I can do this, they can too.” Supported by initiatives like ActionAid Nigeria’s Women’s Voice and Leadership programme, Lucy is part of a growing movement of women challenging exclusion and building stronger, more inclusive local economies, one decision, one investment, and one story at a time