The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially launched a new centralised digital platform designed to revolutionise the country's agricultural sector and strengthen its food security framework.
What is the National Digital Farmers Registry?
The National Digital Farmers Registry (NDFR) is a unified and secure system created to capture and harmonise verified information on farmers and farmlands across Nigeria. The initiative was announced by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, during a workshop organised by the ministry in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Heifer International.
According to a statement from the National Orientation Agency, the minister explained that the registry aims to provide a reliable database that will enhance the planning and delivery of agricultural services nationwide. The platform is expected to be a game-changer for farmers, offering them improved access to critical resources.
Key Benefits and Government Objectives
The NDFR is designed to serve multiple strategic purposes for both the government and the farming community. Primarily, it will help farmers improve seasonal planning, gain easier access to credit facilities and insurance, and adopt climate-smart agricultural practices.
Minister Kyari stated that the project aligns with the federal government's broader agenda to enhance food security, boost productivity, and contribute to economic recovery. He further noted that the initiative is in sync with the Kampala Declaration, which emphasises digital and data-driven approaches to agricultural transformation under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme.
The registry will also support the implementation of early warning systems and provide digital advisory tools to farmers, enabling more informed and resilient farming operations.
Farmers Call for Improved Market Access
While technological innovations like the NDFR are welcomed, stakeholders are calling for complementary infrastructural support. The National President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Kabir Ibrahim, has urged the government to prioritise improving farmers' access to markets.
Ibrahim argued that building feeder roads connecting rural farms to urban markets is crucial to minimising post-harvest losses, especially for perishable goods like vegetables. He highlighted that poor road networks force farmers to sell their produce at farm gates for very low prices, significantly eroding their profits and discouraging production.
"If there are feeder roads from the farms to the market, they will pay less where people don't follow them to the farm gate to buy," Ibrahim told Legit.ng. He stressed that agriculture remains a predominantly rural vocation, necessitating focused development at the grassroots level.
Link to Credit Support and Broader Economic Goals
The new digital registry is poised to play a vital role in the government's financial interventions for the agricultural sector. It could facilitate the transparent disbursement of the N250 billion credit support for smallholder farmers, which Vice President Kashim Shettima recently directed the Presidential Food Coordinating Unit (PFSCU) to hasten.
Shettima urged stakeholders to design clear guidelines ensuring these funds, offered at a single-digit interest rate, reach the intended farmers and translate into real production benefits. State governors have similarly emphasised the need for transparency in the fund's distribution and continued subsidies for local farmers.
This move aligns with advice from economic think tanks like the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), which has urged the government to prioritise targeted support for agriculture and manufacturing to ensure that GDP growth translates into tangible improvements in citizens' welfare.
The launch of the National Digital Farmers Registry marks a significant step in Nigeria's journey toward a modernised, data-driven agricultural economy, aiming to tackle food insecurity from the ground up.
