FG unveils soil health scheme to drive productivity, attract agribusiness investment

The federal government has launched the National Farmer Soil Health Scheme, a key component of the Presidential Soil Health Initiative, designed to boost productivity and attract investment through data-driven soil management.

Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, while briefing the media at the Nigeria Soil Health Information Systems Development Workshop which held in Abuja on Thursday, said the initiative will enable farmers to match crops with soil types, optimise fertiliser use, and reduce production costs — laying the foundation for precision agriculture in Nigeria.

“This scheme allows experts to analyse farm soils and guide farmers on what crops to plant and what fertiliser blends to use,” Abdullahi explained at a workshop in Ibadan. “The result will be higher yields, lower input costs, and improved efficiency.”

He noted that most farmers currently apply fertiliser without scientific guidance, leading to waste and low yields.

The new programme, he said, will promote location- and crop-specific fertiliser blends, stimulating efficiency across the agricultural value chain and encouraging private sector participation in fertiliser production.

Abdullahi added that the initiative supports President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda for food sovereignty, which seeks to make Nigeria self-sufficient in food production.

The government is partnering with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan — home to the West Africa and Sahel Fertiliser and Soil Health Hub — and the International Soil Reference and Information Centre (ISRIC) in the Netherlands, to ensure data collection and soil mapping meet global standards.

“Nigeria has about 73 million hectares of arable land, but we currently cultivate only 34 million,” Abdullahi said. “With reliable soil data, investors can identify viable crops and regions, enabling better decisions and attracting more capital into the sector.”

Field trials have begun, targeting 1,200 farmers across key production zones in the first phase. The minister said the goal is to eventually create a national soil database that will support agribusiness investment, research, and policy formulation.

In his remarks, Bernard Vanlauwe, deputy director-general, R4D at IITA, said the regional soil hub will ensure Nigeria’s data systems align with global best practices.

“The Nigerian soils belong to Nigeria, and so does the information about them,” Vanlauwe said. “Our role is to help strengthen the Nigerian Soil Information System (NISIS) with the latest technologies and ensure consistency across West Africa.”

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Similarly, Chrow Krushid, project manager at ISRIC Netherlands, said Nigeria is one of the focus countries under the West Africa hub and will benefit from technical support in developing digital soil maps to guide policy and investment decisions.

Abdullahi described the project as part of a broader effort to “repair and restore” Nigeria’s soils, ensuring sustainable productivity and long-term food security.

“Soil is the foundation of agriculture,” he said. “We must take ownership of our soil and the data it produces — it’s the basis for national food security and sovereignty.”