Nigeria’s Pesticide Crisis Is Poisoning Farmers, Food and the Future

Nigeria’s Pesticide Crisis Is Poisoning Farmers, Food and the Future

Nigeria’s agricultural transformation is often measured in hectares cultivated, tonnes harvested, food prices and the amount of investment flowing into the sector. But there is another question that deserves far greater attention: how safe is the food we are producing, and at what cost to the people producing it?

A new regional study has provided a disturbing answer. An estimated 69% of Nigerian farmers and farm workers experience unintentional acute pesticide poisoning every year, placing Nigeria second among the six West African countries assessed, behind Burkina Faso at 83.8%. The regional average was 48.9%. Acute pesticide poisoning refers to harmful health effects occurring shortly after exposure and can include headaches, dizziness, vomiting, breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, weakness and irritation of the skin and eyes. Severe exposure can be life-threatening.

The numbers should force Nigeria to reconsider how it approaches agricultural productivity. Pesticides are important tools in modern farming, and completely eliminating chemical crop protection is neither realistic nor necessarily desirable. The problem is how these chemicals are selected, sold, applied, stored, disposed of and regulated.

When pesticides are improperly used, the consequences do not stop with the farmer standing in the field. They can extend to farm families, agricultural workers, traders, processors, consumers, soil, water systems and the country’s international agricultural trade.

The Farmer Is Often the First Victim

For many Nigerian farmers, pesticides are purchased from agrochemical shops or open markets with limited technical guidance. A farmer facing a pest infestation is primarily concerned with saving the crop. If a chemical promises to eliminate the pest quickly, the incentive to use it can be overwhelming.

But the distinction between a pesticide that is effective and one that is being used safely is critical.

A 2025 study of 1,556 tomato farmers in Northern Nigeria found substantial gaps in pesticide safety practices. The study reported that 45% of farmers reused empty pesticide containers, while others discarded or burned them. More concerningly, 40% harvested tomatoes within one to five days after pesticide application despite a seven-day recommended pre-harvest interval in the study context.

The pre-harvest interval is particularly important because it provides the required period for pesticide residues to decline before produce is harvested. Ignoring it can create a direct pathway from agricultural chemicals to the consumer’s plate.

The same study found that 39% of farmers reported purchasing pesticides without receiving guidance on their storage, use and disposal. Farmers also reported concerns about counterfeit or ineffective pesticides in the market.

This reveals a deeper problem: Nigeria’s pesticide crisis is partly an information crisis.

Farmers need access not only to agricultural inputs but also to reliable knowledge about those inputs.

When Food Production Becomes a Food-Safety Problem

Nigeria urgently needs to increase agricultural production. Population growth, urbanisation, food inflation and pressure on household incomes make higher agricultural productivity essential.

But increasing food production while compromising food safety is not sustainable development.

Pesticide residues can enter the food chain when chemicals are incorrectly selected or applied, when farmers harvest too soon after application, or when produce is handled without adequate controls. The problem becomes particularly important for fruits and vegetables that may be consumed fresh.

Research in Nigeria has documented widespread pesticide use and concerns about residue exposure. A 2025 study of farmers in Ogun, Ondo and Oyo States found substantial use of chemical insecticides and herbicides, with practices varying by state and farming system. The researchers emphasised the need for region-specific education and measures to reduce excessive chemical dependence.

The issue therefore cannot simply be framed as “farmers using too many chemicals.” Farmers are responding to real agricultural problems—pests, diseases, weeds and pressure to protect their yields.

The question is whether the agricultural system is giving them safer and more effective choices.

Nigeria’s Pesticide Problem Is Also an Environmental Problem

The consequences of pesticide misuse extend beyond human health.

Poor disposal of chemical containers can contaminate soil and water. Pesticide drift can affect neighbouring farms and communities. Indiscriminate application can harm beneficial insects and other organisms that play important roles in agricultural ecosystems.

This creates a dangerous cycle.

Farmers use chemicals to protect crops. Excessive or inappropriate use can contribute to pest resistance and damage beneficial organisms. Farmers may then respond by applying more chemicals or stronger combinations. Production costs rise, environmental pressure increases and the risks to farmers and consumers become greater.

The objective should therefore not be to create a farming system that simply uses fewer chemicals. It should be to create a farming system that uses the right intervention at the right time and only when necessary.

That is where integrated pest management becomes important.

Integrated pest management combines methods such as crop rotation, resistant varieties, biological control, field sanitation, monitoring and targeted chemical treatment. The objective is to manage pests economically while minimising risks to people and the environment.

The Agrochemical Market Needs Stronger Regulation

Regulation is another major part of the problem.

Nigeria has agencies responsible for regulating agricultural chemicals, food safety and environmental protection. But regulation on paper is very different from regulation that is effectively enforced across thousands of farms, agrochemical outlets, markets and supply chains.

The 2025 Nigerian farmer study found that farmers relied heavily on agro-dealers and other informal channels for pesticides and pesticide-related information. This makes the quality of advice provided at the point of sale extremely important.

An agrochemical dealer should not simply be a retailer.

A farmer purchasing a potentially hazardous chemical should be able to receive basic information about the approved crop, dosage, protective measures, storage, disposal and the required waiting period before harvest.

Nigeria also needs stronger action against counterfeit, mislabelled, unregistered and improperly distributed agricultural chemicals.

This is not simply an agricultural issue. It is a public-health, environmental and consumer-protection issue.

The Economic Cost Is Bigger Than We Think

The pesticide crisis also has an economic dimension that is often overlooked.

When farmers become sick, households bear medical expenses and lose productive labour. When pesticide residues compromise food quality, consumers bear health risks. When agricultural products fail food-safety requirements, farmers and exporters can lose valuable markets.

For an economy seeking to increase agricultural exports, this is particularly important.

Nigeria has significant opportunities in commodities such as sesame, cocoa, ginger, cashew, soybeans, hibiscus and other agricultural products. But international buyers increasingly demand traceability, quality assurance, food-safety compliance and evidence of responsible production.

A country cannot build a globally competitive agricultural export sector while allowing weaknesses in pesticide management to undermine confidence in its products.

Food safety is therefore becoming an element of commodity competitiveness.

The farmer who produces more tonnes but fails to meet quality requirements may ultimately earn less than the farmer who produces a slightly smaller quantity that meets premium-market standards.

We Need to Change the Conversation About Agricultural Productivity

Nigeria’s agricultural policy has traditionally focused heavily on increasing production.

More hectares.

More fertiliser.

More improved seeds.

More mechanisation.

More irrigation.

More pesticides.

All of these can contribute to productivity, but agricultural development should ultimately be measured by something broader:

Can Nigeria produce enough food, safely, profitably and sustainably?

That requires a shift from an input-driven model to a knowledge-driven agricultural system.

Farmers need access to weather information so they can make better planting and spraying decisions. They need pest alerts so they know when intervention is actually necessary. They need information about approved products and safe application. They need market information so that the additional cost of producing higher-quality food can be rewarded by the market.

Agricultural extension services therefore need to be strengthened.

A farmer should not have to depend entirely on another farmer, a chemical retailer or informal advice on social media to determine how a potentially dangerous agricultural chemical should be used.

Safer Agriculture Is Possible

The answer is not to tell farmers to stop protecting their crops.

Farmers need effective pest-management solutions. What Nigeria needs is a transition towards safer, smarter and more targeted crop protection.

This includes greater investment in integrated pest management, biological control, biopesticides, resistant crop varieties, farmer education, soil health and improved extension services.

Research institutions and Nigerian agribusinesses also have an important role to play in developing affordable alternatives that work under local conditions.

Government agricultural programmes should similarly avoid treating agrochemical distribution as an end in itself. Providing farmers with a chemical without ensuring that they understand how to use, store and dispose of it safely can create another problem while attempting to solve the first.

Every agricultural intervention should ultimately answer one question:

Does this make Nigerian agriculture more productive, safer and more sustainable?

If the answer is no, the intervention needs to be reconsidered.

Commodity.ng Insight: The Future of Agriculture Is Data-Driven and Safe

The pesticide crisis highlights something fundamental about the future of Nigerian agriculture: agricultural intelligence must go beyond price information.

Knowing that tomatoes are selling for ₦X per basket is useful. Knowing when tomatoes are likely to face pest pressure, which weather conditions favour disease outbreaks, what safe production practices apply, what quality standards buyers require and whether a particular market is willing to pay a premium for safer, traceable produce is even more valuable.

This is the direction in which agricultural market intelligence needs to evolve.

Commodity.ng believes that the future of agriculture lies at the intersection of data, technology, markets, sustainability and farmer knowledge.

A modern agricultural information platform should help connect production decisions with market realities. Farmers should be able to understand not only what a commodity is worth today, but also the factors influencing its supply, demand, quality and future value.

The pesticide crisis demonstrates why this matters.

A farmer who receives timely information about weather conditions, pest risks and market demand can potentially make better production decisions. An aggregator who understands quality requirements can source better produce. A processor can strengthen traceability. An exporter can reduce compliance risks. And consumers can benefit from a food system in which safety is treated as part of quality rather than an afterthought.

Nigeria does not have to choose between food security and food safety.

It can—and must—pursue both.

The country needs productive farmers, but it also needs healthy farmers. It needs abundant food, but it needs safe food. It needs agricultural exports, but it needs exports that can compete in increasingly demanding international markets.

The warning signs are already here.

The 69% estimated annual incidence of acute pesticide poisoning among Nigerian farmers and farm workers should not be treated as another statistic in an agricultural report. It should be a call to rethink how Nigeria manages agricultural chemicals, trains farmers, regulates agro-dealers, monitors food safety and builds the agricultural economy of the future.

Nigeria’s agricultural future cannot be built by poisoning the people who produce its food or compromising the safety of the food they produce.

The future must be productive, profitable, data-driven, sustainable—and safe.

Source: The ICIR investigation/opinion published September 14, 2026; findings cross-checked against recent peer-reviewed research published in Frontiers in Public Health, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems and Frontiers in Agronomy.