Analysts say enhanced security will boost food production in 2025, noting that livestock development, mechanisation, accessible financing and youth engagement also have the capacity to spur growth in the agriculture sector.

Insecurity has been a fundamental challenge to the development of agriculture across Nigeria, with terrorists and herdsmen sacking farmers in food-belt zones.

Farmers in Nigeria paid over N1.19 billion as levies for their release from bandits between 2020 and 2024, according to SBM Intelligence.

Nigeria’s food insecurity is rapidly becoming an epidemic due to a combination of factors such as worsening security challenges, rising farmer-herder clashes, the impact of climate change, inadequate government responses and structural vulnerabilities within the Nigerian system, SBM said in its reports.

Folorunsho Olayemi, chief executive officer at Sammorf Agro-Consult Limited, said the country has been unable to grow more food owing to the worsening insecurity that has created a shortfall in major staples consumed by Nigerians.

He noted that the shortfall, coupled with the surge in key inputs such as fertilisers and seeds, has led to a continuous price surge.

“The cost of cultivating a hectare of farmland has tripled with surging input costs and labour as well as other factors relating with production,” Olayemi said.

“Farmers are now reducing their production area owing to the rising production costs and insecurity and it is causing surging food prices,” he explained.

Read also: Farm Zone tackles systemic challenges in Nigeria’s livestock sector

Mechanisation

Also, the lack of access to mechanised and technological equipment has also retarded the development of agriculture and analysts say it will redefine the sector this year.

Mechanisation speeds up farming activities and reduces post-harvest losses.

According to the CGIAR, which focuses on climate change, agriculture and food security, “Introducing mechanized harvesting and mechanized threshing prevents almost half a ton (479 kg) food loss per hectare. Mechanization is also increasing farmers’ income by approximately 200 dollars per hectare.”

It said the introduction of mechanisation can avoid production-related greenhouse gas emissions per hectare.

Government Intervention

In addressing the above challenges, the federal government, as part of its efforts, created the Ministry of Livestock Development in 2024. The government assembled agro rangers who have been deployed across states.

According to Idi Muktar Maiha, minister of livestock development, there is a critical need for closer collaboration between livestock practitioners and research institutions to ensure adherence to established regulations and the promotion of innovative research programs aimed at boosting productivity in the livestock sector.

“Our mandate is to revamp the sector, and we will leverage modern techniques to ensure food security and eradicate poverty. Mr. President has opened Nigeria to investments, and we are seizing this opportunity, especially the prospects of collaboration with Brazil which we are determined to secure.”

Meanwhile the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has also said it is poised to provide farmers with increased access to modern agricultural technology and machinery.

Temitope Fashedemi, immediate past permanent secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, had said that the federal government would provide 32,500 units of tractors with implements and assorted machinery for the next five years.