The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has unveiled plans to develop 10 million hectares of land under its newly introduced 10-year strategic plan (2025-2034) to enhance food production across Nigeria.
NALDA’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Cornelius Adebayo, who made this known at a stakeholders’ workshop on the initiative, stated that the 10-year plan includes land preparation, irrigation, and farm infrastructure development, such as hostels for farmers and security facilities.
He said a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Police Trust Fund will ensure security within farming clusters.
Adebayo added that the Authority is targeting to develop five million hectares in the next five years and optimise land recovery for increased food production and exports.
The initiative, he said, has already been launched in Kwara, Ekiti, Benue, Plateau, Bauchi, and Zamfara states and is expected to boost food security while reducing poverty, malnutrition, and insecurity.
He however added that President Bola Tinubu has directed full government support to ensure the success of the program in stabilising Nigeria’s food system.
Also, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, noted that the ministry has partnered with NALDA to develop 150,000 hectares of farmland to support internally displaced persons (IDPs) nationwide.
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Yilwatda highlighted that with over 3 million displaced persons in Nigeria, many living in IDP camps or host communities, the government and humanitarian organizations cannot sustainably continue spending billions of naira annually on aid.
He emphasised the need for a long-term solution through agricultural empowerment.
Under the initiative, IDPs will be grouped into cooperatives. NALDA will handle land clearing, while the ministry will provide farm inputs, and IDPs will contribute labor. The federal government will off-take 70% of the produce, redistributing it among IDPs who did not participate, while the remaining 30% will be retained by participating IDPs to meet their personal needs.
“The World Food Programme (WFP) has raised concerns about IDPs selling relief food in the open market to meet other needs,” Yilwatda noted.
“This partnership will empower them to grow and sell their own produce while earning cash to cover additional expenses.”
The pilot phase has already commenced, covering 600,000 hectares in Benue and 300,000 hectares in Zamfara, with further expansion planned in Plateau and Borno states.