The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has rolled out a series of ambitious projects aimed at transforming smallholder farming in Nigeria, enhancing productivity, and reinforcing the country’s food security. These initiatives, including the Renewed Hope Restoration Project, Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estates, the Green Hope Project, and the Aqua Hope Project, are designed to provide financial stability to farmers while addressing critical challenges in agriculture.
Speaking to agricultural journalists in Abuja, NALDA’s Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Cornelius Adebayo, outlined the objectives and structure of these projects, emphasizing the agency’s commitment to improving farming practices and ensuring better yields for farmers.
One of the key initiatives, the Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estates, is designed to cluster farmers together and provide them with essential support, including agricultural inputs, training, and security. Adebayo explained that this model would ease logistics, facilitate monitoring and evaluation, and enhance farmers’ efficiency.
“We realized that if we cluster farmers in one location, provide them with the necessary resources, and ensure their security, we can significantly boost their productivity. This approach helps us manage logistics better, streamline training, and safeguard farmers from external threats,” Adebayo stated.
To enhance security, trenches measuring four feet by four feet are being dug around these farms to prevent unauthorized access. “By controlling movement in and out of the farm areas, we can ensure that only authorized individuals participate in farming activities,” he added.
The Renewed Hope Restoration Project is another critical intervention aimed at assisting farmers who have been displaced due to conflicts or economic challenges. According to Adebayo, this initiative seeks to reintegrate affected farmers back into agriculture, providing them with the necessary tools and resources to rebuild their livelihoods.
“This project is designed to help displaced farmers return to farming, ensuring that they contribute to food production while also gaining financial stability,” he explained.
Addressing the country’s fish production deficit, NALDA has introduced the Aqua Hope Project to encourage fish farming, particularly in Nigeria’s aquatic states such as Bayelsa. This initiative focuses on empowering women and youth to venture into aquaculture, helping the country reduce its reliance on fish imports.
“You see, Nigeria currently imports over a million tons of fish annually while producing less than 300,000 tons. This huge shortfall presents an opportunity for local fish farmers,” Adebayo said.
He emphasized that the Aqua Hope Project would encourage farmers to raise tilapia and catfish, with tilapia being a preferred option due to its ease of processing, packaging, and export potential.
To address regional disparities in vegetable availability, NALDA is launching the Green Hope Project, which will support states in setting up greenhouse cultivation. This initiative aims to ensure a steady supply of vegetables while reducing the need for long-distance transportation of perishable crops.
“We are working to decentralize vegetable production and reduce the movement of these products across the country. By encouraging states to cultivate the crops they need, we can enhance food availability while reducing costs,” Adebayo explained.
Additionally, NALDA plans to partner with agencies that will provide solar-powered irrigation pumps, ensuring that greenhouse farming remains sustainable in different regions.
Adebayo emphasized that the success of these projects depends on collective efforts from stakeholders in the agricultural sector. He urged Nigerians to embrace agriculture as a profitable business, capable of generating foreign exchange and securing the nation’s food supply.
“These initiatives are part of our broader goal to make agriculture more productive and commercially viable. We must work together to turn agriculture into a business that contributes significantly to our economy,” he said.
With these strategic interventions, NALDA is positioning Nigerian farmers for greater profitability while strengthening the country’s food security framework.
