Nigeria’s proposed agricultural reforms include structural changes to the sector, including wider digitalisation, mechanisation and better coordination among agencies. The proposals are aimed at raising food production and easing the pressure of food prices, but their success will depend on whether the reforms change conditions for farmers.
Professor Ademola Adenle, Senior Special Adviser on Agricultural Innovation to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, outlined the proposals in an interview reported by AgroNigeria on November 5. He said digital systems could help identify farmers, monitor production, improve transparency in the distribution of inputs and connect producers to markets.
The report also described a system under the National Agricultural Growth initiative in which agro-dealers distribute inputs to verified farmers and monitor their production activities. The proposal reflects a wider effort to use data and digital tools to address long-standing problems in the delivery of agricultural support.
The farmer registry problem
Reliable farmer records can help government agencies identify genuine producers, understand where different crops are grown and plan the distribution of inputs. Without accurate data, support programmes risk missing intended beneficiaries or directing resources to people who are not actively farming.
But a digital register is only as useful as the information it contains and the way it is maintained. Farmers may move, change crops, cultivate more than one plot or operate through family arrangements. A registration system that is difficult to update can quickly become outdated.
There is also the question of access. Some farmers may have limited connectivity, lack digital skills or live far from registration centres. If verification depends too heavily on online processes, the people the programme is meant to support could face additional barriers.
Digital distribution needs accountability
Using agro-dealers to distribute inputs to verified farmers could make the process easier to track. It may also help government monitor whether fertiliser and seeds reach their intended destinations. However, transparency requires more than a digital record showing that an allocation was made.
Farmers need to know what they are entitled to receive, where to collect it, how much they must pay and how to report shortages or poor-quality supplies. Public reporting should also show how many beneficiaries actually collected inputs and whether deliveries arrived before the planting window.
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has listed digital extension, farmer registration, mechanisation, irrigation and storage among its priorities. In its 2026 World Food Day statement, the ministry also highlighted plans to reduce post-harvest losses and strengthen agricultural value chains.
Coordination across government
Agriculture involves several institutions whose responsibilities overlap, from land and water management to roads, power, research, finance and trade. Poor coordination can delay projects or leave farmers dealing with different agencies that do not share information.
The proposed reforms will need clear responsibilities and a way to measure performance across federal and state institutions. A farmer should not have to navigate disconnected government systems to obtain extension advice, input support or access to a processing facility.
Mechanisation also requires attention to maintenance, spare parts, operators and access for small-scale producers. Providing tractors without a workable system for booking, servicing and affordable hiring may leave equipment underused or concentrated among larger operators.
Measure what changes on farms
The central question is how the government intends to measure the results of the proposed reforms. A rise in the number of registered farmers or digital transactions may show that a system is being used, but it does not necessarily mean that yields have improved or food has become more affordable.
Useful indicators would include the proportion of registered farmers who receive inputs on time, changes in cultivation costs, yields by crop and state, post-harvest losses, farm-gate prices and the number of smallholders connected to reliable buyers.
The government has also reported growth in the agricultural sector. The Ministry of Information, citing official figures, said agriculture recorded 4.39 per cent growth in the second quarter of 2026. That figure provides one measure of sector performance, but it does not by itself show how gains are distributed among smallholder farmers or whether households are paying less for food.
Nigeria has announced several agricultural programmes over the years. The proposed structural reforms will be judged less by the number of new systems introduced than by whether farmers can obtain support without delay, produce at a sustainable cost and sell their harvests in functioning markets.
