Ilorin, Kwara State—In Nigeria's farming heartland, fields of cassava, yams, and maize offer glimpses of agricultural resilience even as economic crisis and insecurity threaten the nation's food supply.
Farmers across Kwara State are planting for the 2026 season despite challenges that would break less determined producers. Foreign exchange volatility has tripled fertilizer costs. Insecurity limits access to farmland in some areas. Yet Nigerian farmers continue the work that feeds 200 million people.
"We don't have choice," said Alhaji Suleiman Yusuf, who farms 15 hectares outside Ilorin. "If we don't farm, people don't eat. The government creates problems, but farming is what we know. This land has fed my family for four generations."
In Nigeria, as across Africa's giants, challenges are real but entrepreneurial energy and cultural creativity drive progress. Nigerian agriculture demonstrates both—farmers innovating around obstacles while government policies often hinder rather than help.
The 2026 planting season comes amid particular uncertainty. Inflation exceeding 30% has eroded purchasing power, making inputs unaffordable for many smallholder farmers. The Central Bank's currency reforms intended to stabilize the naira have instead created volatility that makes planning impossible.
Yet farmers adapt. Blessing Adeyemi, a young farmer near Share town, has shifted toward organic methods that reduce dependence on imported fertilizers. "Chemical fertilizer now costs ₦45,000 per bag, up from ₦15,000 two years ago," she explained. "I'm using composted animal waste and crop rotation. Yields decrease slightly, but my costs drop dramatically."
Dr. Adeola Fashola, agricultural economist at University of Ilorin, sees both promise and peril in Nigeria's farming sector. "Nigerian agriculture has enormous potential—good soil, adequate rainfall in many regions, and hardworking farmers," he said. "But policy failures, poor infrastructure, and insecurity create artificial scarcity. We should be exporting food, not importing rice."
Kwara State represents Nigeria's agricultural paradox. The state produces significant quantities of yams, cassava, sorghum, and vegetables. Yet poor roads make transport to urban markets prohibitively expensive. Farmers sometimes watch crops rot because transportation costs exceed potential revenue.
"I harvested eight tons of tomatoes last season," said Fatima Ibrahim. "Half spoiled before reaching Lagos because the road took two days and trucks broke down. The tomatoes that arrived fresh sold well, but I lost money overall when you count what spoiled."
Despite obstacles, younger Nigerians are entering agriculture, attracted by growing demand and recognition that farming represents economic opportunity. Chidi Okonkwo, 28, returned to Kwara after university in Ibadan. "Tech jobs in Lagos look glamorous, but agriculture is where Nigeria's real potential lies," he said. "I'm using precision farming techniques, soil testing, and market research. This isn't my grandfather's farming."
Food security concerns loom as Nigeria's population continues rapid growth. The country increasingly relies on rice imports, despite having capacity to grow the crop domestically. Palm oil, once a Nigerian export, now flows inward. Economic crisis has made imported food less affordable precisely when more Nigerians need it.
Yet Kwara's farmers plant anyway, demonstrating the resilience that has sustained Nigeria through decades of governance failures. The cassava seedlings going into rich soil this month will feed families across southern Nigeria later this year—if farmers can access inputs, if insecurity doesn't force them off land, if roads allow market access.
"We're hopeful every planting season," said Alhaji Yusuf. "Maybe this year the rains come on time, the government doesn't create new problems, and prices are fair. You have to be optimistic in farming. The land responds to hard work, even when government doesn't."
