- Nigeria's federal government has disclosed a digital intervention for farmers, where it would develop an application to train them on the best farming practices and guidance for their operations.
- The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, announced this move in an interview, addressing questions about extension services for training farmers in modern farming practices.
- According to the Minister, the app's development is driven by the low ratio of extension workers to farmers.
Specifically, the Minister stated, “We also realise that the ratio of extension workers to farmers is still something that many extension workers will not have the required information. Right now, we are currently working on an e-extension program. We are going to develop an app to be translated into the major languages so that farmers will be able to access to guide their operation.”
Moreover, this initiative meets Nigeria’s food crisis, with food inflation at 40.87% in June 2024. Meanwhile, projections by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) indicate that up to 32 million Nigerians will face a severe food crisis between June and August 2024.
Aside from the federal government, there are agritech startups staging interventions for farmers. ThriveAgric, a Nigerian agritech startup, partnered with Acorn Rabobank to provide carbon credits to over 30,000 smallholder farmers for sustainable agroforestry practices and global carbon market development across nine states in Nigeria.
In January 2024, Zebra CropBank, a Nigerian-based agritech company, secured funding to provide small-scale farmers with relevant post-harvest options and scale, building integrated trading platforms and solar-powered micro-warehouses.
These digital-powered initiatives come as Nigeria's Internet penetration rate stood at 45.5% of the total population at the start of 2024 and is expected to grow to approximately 48% by 2027.
In February 2024, the federal government launched 'Project 774 LG Connectivity,' to connect 774 local government secretariats in Nigeria to the Internet to increase Internet penetration.
The connectivity programme is expected to address limited Internet and digital access by providing dependable and affordable internet and resources, empowering communities, and increasing citizen engagement.