Stakeholders demand 10% budget for agriculture to combat looming food crisis
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s agricultural sector have issued a strong call to the federal and state governments to allocate at least 10 per cent of the national budget to agriculture, warning that anything less would worsen the country’s deepening food insecurity.
This demand was the major outcome of the National Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the 2026 Agriculture Budget, which concluded in Lagos on Thursday. The three-day event brought together 139 participants, including legislators, farmers, civil society actors, and representatives from government ministries and international development partners.
The meeting was convened by ActionAid Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Ministries of Budget and Economic Planning; Agriculture and Food Security; GIZ Global Programme Nigeria; the Community of Agricultural Non-State Actors (COANSA); and the ECOWAS Commission’s Department of Agriculture & Rural Development.
Participants expressed concern that Nigeria’s 2025 agriculture budget allocation has fallen to just 1.2 per cent far below the 10 per cent minimum committed under the Maputo and Malabo Declarations. Stakeholders warned that unless urgent reforms are made, millions of Nigerians could plunge into severe hunger.
Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, stressed the need to treat agriculture as a matter of national security. “We must stop treating agriculture like a poverty-alleviation project and start funding it as the lifeline it truly is. Delayed capital releases and erratic funding are threatening national stability,” he said.
Chinasa Asonye, National Secretary of the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), decried the persistent neglect of women farmers. “Despite a 35% gender allocation mandate, actual releases are near zero. Women who drive rural food production continue to be sidelined,” she stated.
Other major challenges raised included post-harvest losses estimated at over 45 per cent due to poor storage and infrastructure soil depletion, climate change, and farmer insecurity. Pest outbreaks, including armyworm and Tomato Ebola, continue to threaten harvests with limited national response.
The stakeholders recommended a series of urgent reforms:
- Presidential-led oversight of agricultural funding and priorities
- Decentralized security strategies to safeguard rural farming zones
- A transparent digital system to monitor disbursements
- Dedicated budget lines for women (35%), youths and PWDs (15%)
- Climate-smart investments and agroecological solutions
- Institutional reform to maximise use of River Basin Authorities and Research Institutes
Chairperson of COANSA, Rosemary Effiong, emphasised inclusive planning, saying, “We need disaggregated data, grassroots representation, and meaningful participation of youth, women, and persons with disabilities across the value chain.”
Next steps include high-level advocacy visits to President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Finance, and other key officials. A shadow budget and policy advisory notes developed during the consultation will be submitted for further government action.
With about 30.6 million Nigerians projected to face acute food insecurity between June and August 2025, stakeholders say the time to act is now.