The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to roll out a nationwide soil health and fertiliser efficiency programme aimed at boosting farm productivity while cutting input costs for farmers.
The agreement, announced in Abuja, is designed to strengthen food sovereignty by improving soil quality, enhancing fertiliser use efficiency and introducing data-driven farming practices across Nigeria’s agricultural value chain. The ministry said the initiative will support farmers with precise, location-specific guidance on fertiliser application and crop selection based on soil data, helping to improve yields while reducing waste and unnecessary spending.
The programme forms part of the presidential soil health scheme and aligns with the government’s broader food security and sovereignty agenda. Officials said the focus is on moving away from guesswork in fertiliser use toward evidence-based decisions that improve returns on investment for farmers and agribusinesses.
Under the collaboration, the soil health initiative will be built around improved land management and climate services, national capacity development through applied research and soil data systems, and a scalable model that can be extended across the ECOWAS region. These pillars are expected to support both smallholder farmers and commercial operators by improving planning, resilience and productivity.
A major feature of the programme is the planned establishment of soil testing laboratories in all 774 local government areas. Through these labs, farmers will be able to submit soil samples and receive tailored recommendations, reducing fertiliser misuse and improving efficiency across different crops and locations.
From a business perspective, the nationwide soil testing network is expected to create new opportunities for local laboratory services, digital advisory platforms, and precision agriculture solutions. It could also improve coordination across fertiliser distribution chains, supporting agro-dealers, input suppliers, and logistics providers while lowering overall production costs.
The partnership will also strengthen the Nigeria Farmers’ Soil Health Scheme and the National Soil Information System, with implementation coordinated through the Regional Hub of Fertilizer and Soil Health for West Africa and the Sahel, hosted by IITA. The initial focus will be on major staple crops such as rice, maize, sorghum, wheat, and yams, with an emphasis on integrated soil fertility management and upgraded laboratory and digital soil information standards.
IITA will provide research support, technical expertise, training, soil testing services and monitoring frameworks to ensure measurable improvements in soil health and fertiliser efficiency. Analysts say that over time, better fertiliser use could lower production costs for farmers, stabilise supply for food processors and reduce pressure on foreign exchange by cutting fertiliser import needs.
The signing of the memorandum signals a shift toward more commercially sustainable and data-driven agriculture in Nigeria, with potential benefits across farming, agribusiness and food processing value chains.
