The National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria has called on states and local governments to take greater ownership of agricultural development, noting that their active participation is key to restoring the nation’s food system.
The Chairman of NAFN Board of Trustees, Mr Kabir Ibrahim made the call during an interactive session with newsmen on Saturday in Abuja.
Speaking, the chairman urged the state and local governments to take greater ownership of agricultural development, noting that their active participation is key to restoring the nation’s food system.
He added that governments across the country needed to collaborate and actively participate in the 2025 National Agricultural Show to strengthen efforts toward achieving food security.
Reports gathered that the 2025 Agricultural Show is scheduled to hold from Nov. 24 to Nov. 28 with the theme: “Empowering Smallholder Farmers: Restoring Value, Ensuring Productivity”.
Ibrahim described state and local governments as custodians of agriculture, saying their active involvement would help revitalise the nation’s food system.
He said this year’s show would feature farmers’ groups, input producers, fertiliser companies, research institutes, investors, development partners, and agribusiness industries, among others.
According to him, the inclusion of input providers and investors aims to address one of the biggest challenges confronting smallholder farmers in high production costs.
“We are featuring input providers to help tackle the high cost of fertilisers and other farm inputs.
“The only way to achieve this is through direct interaction between farmers and producers to ensure affordability.
“There is no sense in producing crops that farmers cannot sell due to unstable prices, “he said.
The chairman said every state of the federation, along with farmers’ associations and groups, had been invited to participate fully in the event.
He explained that the show would work closely with smallholder farmers to strengthen Nigeria’s agri-food system, ensuring sustainable productivity and resilience.
“The initiative will empower smallholder farmers and enable the country to achieve food sufficiency, especially as our population is projected to almost double by 2050.
“We must work hard to make sure that many Nigerians, particularly those at the lower strata, rise above poverty levels.
“Once people are assured of food, they can think and act productively for national development,” Ibrahim said.
He said attractions at the event would include innovative technologies, climate-smart agriculture practices, agribusiness opportunities, and modern hand-held equipment for tilling, planting, and harvesting.
“There will also be exhibitions of livestock such as poultry and fish raised with improved feeds, as well as seminars to expose farmers to new agricultural technologies that can enhance food security,” he said.
The National Agricultural Show, first introduced in 2007, has become a major platform for promoting agricultural development and innovation in Nigeria.
