Stakeholders call for urgent investment in irrigation, mechanization, agro-processing, and rural infrastructure to boost food production and climate resilience.
Nigeria’s continued reliance on rain-fed agriculture is undermining efforts to achieve sustainable food security despite the country’s vast agricultural potential, industry experts have warned.
With millions of hectares of arable land, extensive river systems, and numerous dams spread across the country, stakeholders argue that Nigeria possesses the resources needed to become a major agricultural powerhouse. However, inadequate investment in irrigation infrastructure, mechanization, agro-processing, and policy implementation has left the sector vulnerable to climate-related disruptions and declining productivity.
Recent weather extremes, including devastating floods in parts of Northern Nigeria and prolonged dry spells across several southern states, have further exposed the fragility of the nation’s food production system. Experts believe that unless deliberate efforts are made to modernize agriculture, food security challenges and rising production costs will persist.
Speaking on the issue, Adebowale Onafowora, Founder and Managing Director of BIC Farms Concepts, said Nigeria continues to underutilize its irrigation resources despite possessing significant water infrastructure.
According to him, less than 10 percent of the country’s irrigation potential is currently being utilized, leaving dams and river basin facilities largely underexploited.
“Nigeria remains heavily dependent on seasonal rainfall for food production, making farmers extremely vulnerable to climate shocks and unpredictable weather patterns,” he said.
Onafowora traced the sector’s challenges to the post-oil boom era of the 1970s, when national focus shifted away from agriculture following the discovery and commercialization of crude oil.
He further noted that the country’s inability to develop strong agricultural value chains has limited the sector’s contribution to economic growth.
“We continue to export raw agricultural commodities and import processed products at significantly higher costs. In addition, post-harvest losses remain high due to inadequate storage facilities, poor cold-chain infrastructure, and limited agro-processing capacity,” he explained.
Also speaking, Yinka Adesola, a stakeholder in Nigeria’s shea industry, identified high import tariffs on agricultural machinery and inputs as one of the major obstacles to increased food production.
She argued that the high cost of equipment discourages mechanization and raises production expenses for farmers.
“It is difficult for local farmers to compete when modern farm machinery remains expensive. At the same time, Nigeria imports food products from countries where farmers benefit from substantial government support and subsidies,” she said.
Adesola recommended targeted government intervention through subsidized access to modern agricultural equipment and production inputs to improve efficiency and lower production costs.
“This would make Nigerian farmers more competitive and significantly reduce dependence on imported food products,” she added.
Similarly, Dr. Abiodun Onalaja, Chief Executive Officer of Hyst Global Business Ltd and producer of Okun Rice, highlighted unresolved land tenure issues, inconsistent government policies, and weak agro-processing value chains as major factors limiting agricultural growth.
According to him, these long-standing challenges have discouraged private sector investment and prevented agriculture from realizing its full economic potential.
“The absence of policy continuity and difficulties surrounding land acquisition continue to discourage long-term investment in the sector. We also need stronger processing and export value chains if agriculture is to emerge as a significant foreign exchange earner,” he stated.
For Oba Dokun Thompson, the Oloni of Eti-Oni in Osun State and Founder of International Cocoa Diplomacy (ICD), the sector’s challenges are rooted in inadequate strategic planning and weak coordination among government institutions.
He stressed the need for a clearly defined national agricultural vision supported by effective collaboration between federal and state governments.
“Government intentions may be good, but implementation requires alignment across all levels. Agriculture must become a strategic national priority with clearly measurable outcomes,” he said.
Oba Thompson also emphasized the importance of changing public perceptions about agriculture, noting that the sector should be viewed as a profitable business rather than a last-resort occupation.
“If we want to attract the next generation into agriculture, we must create an environment where farming is seen as a viable and profitable enterprise,” he said.
He further expressed concern about the lack of reliable agricultural data, arguing that effective planning and policy decisions depend on accurate information and performance measurement.
“We cannot properly evaluate the impact of interventions because data collection and utilization remain weak. Sustainable policies must be driven by evidence,” he added.
Industry stakeholders also noted that Nigeria missed a historic opportunity to channel oil revenues into agricultural modernization, a strategy successfully adopted by several countries that have diversified their economies through strong investments in food production and agro-industrial development.
As climate change continues to reshape agricultural production globally, experts believe that strengthening irrigation systems, improving access to mechanization, expanding rural infrastructure, and supporting agro-processing industries will be critical to building a more resilient food system capable of feeding Nigeria’s growing population.
Commodity.ng Insight
The conversation around food security in Nigeria can no longer focus solely on increasing cultivated land. Productivity, resilience, and value addition are now the defining factors for agricultural competitiveness.
Nigeria’s dependence on rain-fed agriculture exposes farmers to unpredictable weather conditions, resulting in unstable yields and fluctuating commodity supplies. This often contributes to volatility in the prices of staple crops such as maize, rice, sorghum, soybeans, and millet.
Expanding irrigation infrastructure would enable year-round farming, stabilize commodity supply, improve farmers’ incomes, and reduce seasonal price spikes that affect consumers nationwide.
Equally important is investment in agro-processing and storage infrastructure. A significant portion of agricultural produce is lost after harvest due to inadequate storage and transportation systems. Reducing these losses could substantially increase food availability without expanding farmland.
For Nigeria to achieve long-term food security and become a net exporter of agricultural products, policymakers must prioritize irrigation development, mechanization, rural infrastructure, agricultural financing, and data-driven policy implementation.
The future of Nigeria’s food system depends not only on what is grown but on how efficiently it is produced, processed, stored, and delivered to markets.
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