Prof (Queen) Hazarat Champions Agricultural Self-Sufficiency: “We Must Eat What We Produce, and Produce What We Eat”

Renowned agro-activist and founder of several cooperative agricultural initiatives, Prof (Queen) Hazarat Adesumi Adeyeye, has reiterated her long-standing vision of achieving food self-sufficiency in Nigeria through the philosophy of “Eat what we produce and produce what we eat.”

Speaking at the signing of a major Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) involving various stakeholders in the agricultural and MSME sectors, Queen Ararat reflected on decades of work dedicated to transforming Nigeria's agricultural landscape.

“I was commissioned to research food sufficiency and security across Nigeria as far back as 2036,” she said, highlighting her efforts across all six geopolitical zones. 

“From arable farming to livestock, citrus, aquaculture, horticulture, and even agro-tourism and agro-mining – we’ve developed holistic strategies to make Nigeria agriculturally self-reliant.”

Hazarat noted that her journey took her across the globe, including the United States, Brazil, Germany, and the UK, where she studied best practices to apply back home. 

“It used to be Nigeria for Nigerians, but today we are saying Nigerians for Nigeria, because we now understand the true value of agriculture.”

Her organization, the National Cooperative of Agro-Allied Organizations of Nigeria (NACOON), in partnership with the Bank of Agriculture, has secured funding to the tune of ₦500 billion to support grassroots farmers and MSMEs across the North Central and South West regions.

“We are starting with seven states in the North Central, including Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, and the FCT, and six states in the South West,” she said. “Our goal is to ensure year-round irrigation, improved mechanization, and full value chain development.”