They also asked the corporation to facilitate prompt payment of compensation to farmers who had suffered losses.
According to them, this will help build trust and confidence in agricultural insurance among farmers.
These were some of the recommendations of smallholders at a two-day stakeholders consultative meeting on Public Financing of 2021 Agriculture Budget organised in Gombe by Hope Foundation for the Lonely in collaboration with Action Aid Nigeria.
In a presentation made on behalf of the group, Atiku Yusuf said aggressive execution of awareness on Government Agricultural Insurance Scheme within the rural community would help orientate women farmers on the benefits.
Yusuf added that local dialect should be employed in communicating the attraction of insurance.
She advised the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation to take seriously the education of their farmers especially smallholders on modalities of insurance uptake.
Yusuf said, “There is need for flexibility, diversification and increase in agricultural insurance products with the mindset of making it particularly more affordable, accessible and meeting the various needs of farmers, especially women smallholders.
“There is need for prompt payment of compensation to individual women farmers who suffered losses, to encourage trust and believe among farmers.
“Government Agricultural Insurance Schemes should target all farmers irrespective of whether they have loans or not, self-insurance will be covered.”
On his part, the Executive Director, Hope Foundation for the Lonely, Mansa Adamu, said insurance was one of the most important aspect of Agriculture.
He said, “We will continue to advocate and to sensitise our women farmers on the importance of insurance.”
Adamu called all stakeholders to do everything possible to improve agriculture for the sake of the health and economic prosperity all citizens.