Mixed reactions greet Nigeria's Farmers' Census Initiative

During the tenure of former Agriculture Minister, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, the Nigerian government estimated the number of farmers at approximately 14 million.

However, questions remain about how many of those farmers are still active in the field today even as Federal Government ( FG) has launched a new national farmers' census, which is aimed to address key challenges in the agricultural sector by improving data collection and streamlining inputs distribution.

The initiative, led by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), seeks to register farmers using biometric data and the National Identity Number (NIN) as the plan is expected to begin in January 2025, with the first phase targeting two million farmers between February and April of the running year, while the second phase would capture six million.

The data collection will include farm locations, crop types, and cultivation methods (whether rain-fed or irrigated) as all these will help the government to focus support on genuine farmers.

The National President, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Arch. Ibrahim Kabiru who threw his weight behind having accurate farmers' data expressed optimism about the census, saying such an initiative would help the Government's support getting to the real farmers.

Kabir pointed out that without knowing the actual number of farmers, it would be challenging to provide the targeted support saying that the immediate priority should be capturing the full scope of the agricultural community.

Despite the enthusiasm surrounding the initiative, there are significant concerns. Ms Mary Uchenna, a member of the Small-Scale Women Farmers Association of Nigeria (SWOFON) who voiced skepticism about the project with a recall to 2019 which she said ultimately yielded little tangible support. 

Uchenna querried government's commitment to addressing fundamental issues such as security for farmers and provision of sufficient budgetary allocations to agriculture.

Her concerns highlight a broader mistrust in the government’s ability to implement this initiative effectively while she suggested closer collaboration with established commodity associations in order to ensure that the data collected were accurate to ensure meaningful outcomes for farmers.

She said that " This is not the first attempt by the Nigerian government to undertake a nationwide farmer census. Back in August 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture announced plans to establish a technical working group for the project, but these efforts did not materialize. Now, under Minister Kyari’s leadership, the government is again making strides to follow the initiative as she hopes that the project will succeed"

Experts have agreed that accurate data is critical to making informed decisions about agricultural support programs. If successful, the initiative has the potential to transform Nigeria's agricultural sector by ensuring that resources are allocated effectively and that interventions are targeted where they are most needed.

They suggested transparency with follow-through, and coordination with farmers’ associations just as building trust within the farming community will be crucial to ensuring that the data gathered is used to improve food security, boost agricultural productivity, and ultimately support the farmers who play a vital role in Nigeria's economy.