Reflecting on the Impact: Six Months Since the SWIS Africa & HortiNigeria AgriTrailblazers Project

Six months ago, SWIS Africa and HortiNigeria came together for a project that has since left an unforgettable mark—not only on the women it featured, but on everyone who watched these women rise, speak, and shine. The collaboration was more than just a partnership; it was a celebration of strength, resilience, and innovation, led by women in agriculture who are quietly but powerfully transforming their communities.

At the heart of this project was a shared mission: to uplift women. HortiNigeria had long focused on empowering rural women in the horticulture space, while SWIS Africa—committed to inspiring African women in STEM—brought a fresh energy to the storytelling. Together, we set out to spotlight AgriTrailblazers: women who are not only farming but leading, solving problems, mentoring others, and embracing technology to push boundaries.

We met women like Halima Dahiru, whose work radiates hope across her community. She isn’t just a farmer—she’s a leader, a mentor, and a changemaker. Her quiet confidence and relentless commitment to doing things right inspired us all. And then there’s Zahrau Abdulmumuni, a force in commercial tomato production who is proving daily that women belong at the top of the agricultural value chain. These women, and so many others we encountered, reminded us of the deep, often unrecognized contributions women make to feeding their communities and innovating in spaces they were once excluded from.

But it wasn’t just about telling stories—it was about real support. Through fieldwork and training, the HortiNigeria team worked closely with farmers to share knowledge, solve problems, and introduce sustainable practices. We saw firsthand how their Tuta absoluta campaign helped farmers take control of pest outbreaks that had previously devastated crops. We witnessed women learning, experimenting, and gaining the confidence to innovate—from using technology to reduce post-harvest losses to improving their yields with simple but powerful tools.

For us at SWIS Africa, this project also touched something deeper. We know that women in STEM—especially in agriculture and rural tech—often face invisible barriers. This project gave us the opportunity to not just speak about those challenges but to address them with action, by showing what’s possible when women are supported and seen.

Looking back, it’s not just the outcomes that stay with us—it’s the moments. The laughter in the fields, the determination in the voices of women who’ve seen hardship and chosen growth anyway, the quiet pride of knowing their stories were finally being told. It was beautiful, humbling, and necessary.

Every video, every interview, every shared experience from this journey has been captured and is now available on our YouTube channel. We hope you’ll watch them—not just to be inspired, but to be reminded that change doesn’t always look like big headlines. Sometimes, it looks like a woman planting seeds with new knowledge. Sometimes, it sounds like Halima or Zahrau speaking their truth. And sometimes, it looks like two organizations joining forces because they believe in a better future for women and for Africa.

This is just the beginning.