The BATN Foundation has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering Nigeria’s smallholder farmers and strengthening the agricultural sector through its 2025 Agribusiness Dialogue Session, which took place recently in Lagos.
The biennial forum brought together policymakers, financiers, development experts, and private-sector leaders to explore the theme, “Is the Smallholder Farmer Really Financeable?” Discussions focused on how to make smallholder farmers more bankable and better integrated into Nigeria’s agribusiness value chain.
Speaking at the event, the Foundation’s executive director said the organisation remains focused on ensuring that farmers are not just financially supported but are also resilient and recognised as vital contributors to national growth. She stressed that agriculture must evolve from being viewed merely as a survival strategy into a strategic driver of wealth creation and economic development.
The Foundation’s general manager highlighted that financial support alone will not unlock the potential of smallholder farmers. According to him, empowerment must combine finance with knowledge, innovation, and access to markets. Closing these gaps, he noted, will shift farmers from dependency to becoming engines of growth within Nigeria’s agricultural economy.
Delivering the keynote address, the senior special adviser on agricultural innovation to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security described investment in smallholder farmers as one of the most strategic economic choices available to the country. He noted that agriculture remains a reliable pathway to job creation, innovation, and economic resilience.
Panellists from the public and private sectors agreed that limited access to finance remains the biggest barrier facing smallholder farmers. They called for flexible lending models without heavy collateral demands, the creation of comprehensive farmer databases, and improved rural infrastructure to support agricultural activity. They also emphasised that financing must be tied to knowledge transfer, business-oriented models, and innovation hubs that reduce risks and drive shared growth.
A fireside chat during the event further underscored the importance of capacity building and aligning agricultural policies with grassroots realities to make interventions more effective.
The session also featured the presentation of awards to winners of the 2025 Farmers for the Future competition, a youth-focused initiative of the BATN Foundation. The first-place winner received N3 million, while two second-place winners received N2 million each. Other finalists were awarded N1 million each to scale their agribusinesses.
Since its establishment in 2002, the BATN Foundation has implemented over 350 community development projects across Nigeria. Its interventions have focused on promoting modern agricultural practices and helping farmers transition from subsistence farming to commercially viable enterprises.
The 2025 Dialogue concluded with a unified call for coordinated action to provide smallholder farmers with the finance, tools, and market access they need to sustain agriculture as a driver of food security, employment, and inclusive economic growth.
