Stakeholders from across Nigeria’s agriculture sector have issued a call for urgent reforms, inclusive policies, and increased budgetary allocation to agriculture. This is coming as deliberations for the 2026 national budget intensify

This is just as they expressed dissatisfaction with the continued decline in federal allocation to agriculture, falling to just 1.2 per cent of the national budget in 2025, a sharp drop from the 4.2 per cent allocated in 2024.

The demand came after the 3-day National Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the 2026 Agriculture Budget, held in Lagos.

The meeting was jointly organised by ActionAid Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), GIZ Global Programme AgSys Nigeria, the Community of Agricultural Non-State Actors (COANSA), and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the ECOWAS Commission.

The forum brought together over 130 participants, including members of the National Assembly, federal and state ministries, civil society groups, research institutions, farmer organisations, the media, and development partners.

Participants reviewed Nigeria’s agriculture policies, assessed the implementation of the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP), and examined alignment with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the 2014 Malabo Declaration, and the 2025 Kampala Declaration on food systems transformation.

They expressed deep concern about the multiple crises plaguing the sector, including climate change, insecurity, low investment, and poor budget performance.

One of the most pressing concerns raised was the rising hunger and food insecurity levels.

The stakeholders cited projections that over 30.6 million Nigerians across 26 states and the Federal Capital Territory would face acute food and nutrition insecurity at crisis levels during the 2025 lean season.

This figure was attributed to insecurity, displacement of farmers, climate-induced disasters like floods and droughts, and soaring food prices.

According to a communique issued at the end of the meeting, “Between 2022 and 2024, floods submerged thousands of hectares of farmland, with over 1.1 million hectares affected in 2024 alone.”

Participants also noted with dismay that the federal allocation to agriculture has continued to decline, falling to just 1.2 per cent of the national budget in 2025, a sharp drop from the 4.2 per cent allocated in 2024.

This is far below the 10 per cent benchmark committed to by Nigeria under the Maputo and Malabo Declarations.

They also observed that no state in the country, including the Federal Capital Territory, has met this benchmark.

Budget releases were also reported to be erratic and delayed, with capital releases for 2025 standing at zero as of the second quarter.

While personnel costs are routinely released in full, critical overheads and capital funding required for project execution are often withheld or delayed, undermining impact and service delivery.

In addition to budgetary shortcomings, the meeting spotlighted systemic exclusion and inequity in the agriculture system.

Women who form the backbone of smallholder agriculture in Nigeria are grossly underfunded, with actual budgetary allocations rarely reflecting the 35 per cent earmarked for them in the National Agricultural Gender Policy.

Young people and persons with disabilities (PWDs) also remain on the margins of agricultural investment, lacking access to land, credit, inputs, and extension services.

Customary land tenure systems continue to deny many women and youth the right to own or inherit land, preventing them from expanding their farms or accessing credit.

Despite the constraints, the sector continues to contribute significantly to Nigeria’s GDP, averaging between 23–29 per cent from 2015 to 2024.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has been making efforts to modernise the sector through mechanisation, youth empowerment, and private sector engagement.

However, stakeholders insisted that more strategic, inclusive, and well-funded interventions are urgently required to unlock the sector’s full potential and drive national development.

The communique called on the federal government to raise the agriculture budget to at least 10 percent of national expenditure, in line with continental commitments.

It urged early and front-loaded budget releases, particularly for capital projects, to align with the agricultural season. Participants recommended that the presidency lead the charge by making agriculture a top national priority beyond political rhetoric.

They also called for the establishment of an independent, publicly accessible monitoring system to ensure transparency, track fund utilisation, and hold violators accountable.

Recommendations also included strengthening agricultural insurance and climate risk mitigation strategies, reforming land tenure and input distribution systems, investing in inclusive rural infrastructure such as roads and storage facilities, and developing climate-smart agricultural practices. Participants stressed the need to empower the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) with consistent financing while channeling unspent capital allocations at the end of each fiscal year into the fund.

The meeting proposed specific budget lines for women, youth, and PWDs, including a dedicated 10–15 per cent allocation for youth agripreneurs and at least 50 per cent participation of young women in youth-focused agricultural programs. State-level youth farm clusters, regional agri-innovation hubs, and cooperative-based financing models were also recommended to boost inclusion and productivity.