The Nigerian government, in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and other partners, has unveiled a national Readiness Assessment for the Nigerian Farmers Soil Health Scheme.
The program, launched on Monday in Abuja, is aimed at mapping soil degradation, optimizing public spending, and strengthening the country’s food security and climate resilience.
Speaking at the launch, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, described healthy soil as the foundation for national prosperity.
He warned that decades of soil nutrient depletion, erosion, and climate stress have left large portions of Nigeria’s farmland exhausted.
“A nation that cannot feed itself cannot secure its future,” he said, emphasizing that urgent action is needed to meet the targets of the Nationally Determined Contributions, the National Agriculture Technology and Innovation Policy, and the National Agriculture Resilience Framework.
The assessment will establish 774 soil testing laboratories, one for each local government area, and create the Nigeria Soil Information System to provide farmers with personalized Soil Health Cards and crop-specific fertilizer recommendations.
According to the Minister, the initiative will generate reliable data to guide government investments, ensuring that every naira spent on agriculture achieves the highest impact in terms of nutrition, yields, and climate resilience.
The scheme will focus on five priority areas: harmonizing fertilizer regulations and extension guidelines with soil health objectives; improving the speed, accuracy, and coverage of soil laboratories; preparing Agricultural Development Programmes and private labs to handle two million farms annually; linking soil data to financial platforms for farmer loans; and removing barriers that prevent smallholders from accessing soil testing services.
Senator Abdullahi highlighted the connection between soil health and climate action. Healthy soils capture carbon, reduce nitrous oxide emissions, and reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers. Agroecology and agroforestry practices alone could cut 158 to 712 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
“No farmer can move from subsistence to commercial farming on degraded land,” he added, linking the initiative to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision for commercial agriculture.
The Readiness Assessment is the first step toward full implementation of the Soil Health Scheme, which will expand soil testing through mobile laboratories, scale up organic solutions such as biochar, lime, and cover crops, and integrate digital tools to provide site-specific recommendations.
The program will also facilitate access to credit and insurance by bundling soil inputs with financial support, while supporting watershed restoration and erosion control across Nigeria’s 12 major river basins.
Significant progress has already been made under the initiative. A National Technical Executive Committee has been formed, Soil Health Cards and the Nigeria Soil Information System have been developed, and regional workshops have been held across the country.
Partnerships with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, ECOWAS Regional Fertilizer Hub, and other development partners have been established.
Laboratory technicians have received training, modern equipment has been supplied to 12 states, and study tours on soil health have been conducted in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Togo.
The Minister revealed that each state will host a Soil Desk to co-manage data, led by trained Agricultural Development Programme agents. The federal government will sign Soil Health Compacts with states to match investments with local commitments in funding, staffing, and land management.
He emphasized that soil management practices must vary across regions, noting that soils in Borno differ from those in Lagos.
The scheme also set targets for 2027, including: 10 million farmers receiving soil-test-based advice, 5 million hectares under improved practices, Digital Soil Health Cards available in all 774 local government areas, a 30 percent reduction in postharvest losses in key value chains, and youth- and women-led soil enterprises across six geopolitical zones.
Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, represented at the event by Mr. Abana Waziri Abba, stressed that Nigeria’s agriculture employs 70 percent of the rural population but faces low productivity and growing climate risks.
He said the initiative will introduce one-stop soil laboratories, site-specific fertilizers, certified Soil Doctors, a live digital soil map linked to weather data, and financial incentives such as carbon payments and interest rebates for farmers who increase soil organic matter.
The FAO Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Dr. Hussein Gadain, expressed support for the initiative, noting its potential to enhance agricultural productivity and strengthen the national soil health system.
Director of the Department of Agricultural Land Climate Change Management Service, Mr. Olanipekun Oshadiya, described the launch as a milestone for sustainable agriculture and food security.
He thanked government leaders and development partners, including GIZ, OCP, AGRA, Gates Foundation, and Sasakawa Africa, for their commitment to boosting resilience and productivity in Nigerian agriculture.
