ActionAid Nigeria has expressed alarm over the growing trend of converting agricultural land into residential and commercial zones, a development that exacerbates the country's food insecurity crisis. The warning came from the organization's Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, during a National Town Hall Meeting focused on the Land Use Act and alternative frameworks for land access and control for smallholder women farmers and young people involved in agroecology.
Barriers to Farmland Access
Mamedu highlighted that this trend creates significant obstacles for farmers seeking land for cultivation. He noted that Nigeria is already struggling with climate shocks, land degradation, rising food insecurity, and deepening vulnerabilities among smallholder farmers, especially women and youth. With support from partners, ActionAid has worked with approximately 135,000 smallholder women farmers to enhance their capacity in adopting climate-resilient agricultural practices and has made progress in improving land access.
Persistent Challenges
Despite these achievements, Mamedu pointed out that land disputes, insecurity, gender discrimination, competing land uses, and systemic issues in land administration continue to restrict access and control over land, particularly for women and young people. He emphasized that these challenges reflect structural flaws in Nigeria's land governance system and noted that the Land Use Act has proven inadequate in ensuring equitable access and tenure security due to bureaucratic red tape, weak enforcement, and socio-cultural factors.
Mamedu stressed that improved land access is essential for advancing agroecology, integrating economic trees for sustainable income, and driving rural economic growth. He called for stronger partnerships and concrete actions to make land accessible, equitable, and empowering, especially for those who contribute to the nation's food production. He also underscored the need for inclusive land governance systems to support the implementation of the National Agroecology Strategy, developed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria.
Government Acknowledgment
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, acknowledged that smallholder women farmers and young people are constrained by structural, legal, and socio-cultural barriers in accessing farmland. He noted that these challenges not only hinder agricultural productivity but also limit collective efforts toward inclusive economic growth, climate resilience, and sustainable food systems. He urged stakeholders to generate practical, actionable, and inclusive recommendations that can inform policy reform, institutional strengthening, and implementation strategies at both national and sub-national levels, assuring that the outcomes of the engagement will contribute meaningfully to ongoing national efforts on agricultural transformation, inclusive food systems, and climate-resilient development.
