The Country Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Nigeria,Hussein Gadain has proposed a comprehensive roadmap to reposition the nation’s agricultural sector.
His warning comes amid growing concerns that millions of Nigerians are slipping further into food insecurity due to structural inefficiencies and climate-related shocks.
According to Gadain, the transition from subsistence farming to a commercial, high-yield model is no longer optional but a necessity for national survival.
The FAO Director emphasized that Nigeria must adopt sustainable practices that protect environmental integrity while boosting output. This involves integrating climate-smart techniques to mitigate the impact of unpredictable weather patterns on crop yields.
In a direct assessment of the sector’s current state, Gadain noted that infrastructure, rather than a lack of innovation, remains the primary bottleneck.
He argued that even with the most advanced technology, the absence of functional roads, storage facilities, and processing hubs creates a broken value chain.
“The problem today is not AI, it is infrastructure. If we look at the value chains, infrastructure is missing,” he remarked.
To move beyond subsistence levels, Gadain stressed the urgency of improving farmer access to high-quality seeds, superior animal breeds, and effective fertilizers. Standardizing these inputs is critical for ensuring that the transition to high-yield production is both scalable and consistent.
Predictable water supply through advanced irrigation and water management is essential to break the reliance on rain-fed agriculture. The FAO suggests that better water governance will allow for year-round farming, significantly increasing the annual food supply.
The pathways also highlight the need for increased mechanization to reduce the labor intensity of farming. By providing smallholder farmers with access to modern machinery, the sector can improve speed and efficiency, making agriculture more attractive to the younger population.
The FAO further alled for a concerted effort to address post-harvest losses, which currently claim a significant percentage of Nigeria’s total agricultural output.
Gadain concluded by urging the Federal Government and private sector stakeholders to collaborate on these strategies.