Ogun State has entered a strategic partnership with Soilless Farm Lab to drive a new phase of agricultural transformation focused on youth-led agribusiness, technology-driven farming systems, and long-term food security.
The collaboration came into focus at the graduation ceremony of the 12th cohort of the Enterprise for Youth in Agriculture programme, an initiative supported by the Mastercard Foundation and implemented by Soilless Farm Lab to strengthen Good Agricultural Practices and nutrition across Nigeria’s vegetable value chain.
Representing the state government at the event, the Senior Special Assistant on Agriculture to the governor said the programme aligns directly with Ogun State’s goal of building a modern agricultural economy powered by innovation, youth participation and private investment. She noted that the state has already backed earlier beneficiaries with financial grants and access to land, enabling young agripreneurs to establish and scale viable businesses. According to her, several graduates are now running sustainable ventures that contribute meaningfully to local food supply while adapting to climate pressures through technology.
The project leaders at Soilless Farm Lab described the programme as one of the most impactful youth-focused agricultural interventions in the country. Over its three-year pilot phase, the EYIA project has trained 12,000 young people directly, with graduates extending the knowledge to more than 18,000 others within their communities. The initiative has also led to the construction of hundreds of greenhouses and the creation of hundreds of agribusinesses, many of which now generate steady monthly revenue and secure grants to expand operations.
Beyond business creation, the programme’s footprint has extended into rural development. Host communities have recorded improvements in infrastructure, electricity access and road construction, while social investments linked to graduates have opened up free basic education opportunities for children in surrounding villages. The success of the model has attracted interest from other state governments, with replication partnerships already taking shape across different regions of the country.
Soilless Farm Lab said its approach is built around year-round food production, rejecting seasonal farming cycles in favour of continuous greenhouse cultivation. With over a thousand operational greenhouses running on-site, the organisation maintains 24-hour production aimed at addressing food shortages and stabilising supply. This model, it said, proves that agriculture can be both resilient and commercially viable when driven by data, infrastructure and skills.
In addition to youth training, the organisation has worked closely with local farming communities, providing capacity-building support to thousands of adult farmers through partnerships with development-focused institutions. The goal, according to programme managers, is to ensure that innovation does not exclude traditional farmers but instead strengthens the entire agricultural ecosystem.
For MSMEs in agriculture, the Ogun State–Soilless Farm Lab partnership highlights a growing shift toward structured, technology-backed agribusiness models that create jobs, attract funding and deliver measurable impact. As the programme moves beyond its pilot phase, stakeholders say its continued success will depend on scaling access, sustaining affordability and keeping small producers at the centre of Nigeria’s food security strategy.
