The Federal Government and development partners have affirmed that partnerships and innovation are central to the rapid growth of Nigeria's horticulture sector, with significant impacts on food security, job creation, and the empowerment of youths and women.
This was the consensus last week at the two-day 2025 Learning Event of the HortiNigeria program held in Ibadan, Oyo State. The event, themed "Catalysing Sustainability and Inclusion through Stakeholder Engagement in Nigeria's Horticulture Sector," brought together government officials, development partners, state representatives, and agribusiness stakeholders to review progress and chart a sustainable path forward.
HortiNigeria (2021–2025) is a flagship agricultural initiative funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is led by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in collaboration with the East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation, the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), and Wageningen University & Research. Delivering the keynote on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, the Ministry's Director of Horticulture, Mr Yerima Ubah, highlighted milestones achieved under the program.
"HortiNigeria has served as a catalyst for sustainable and inclusive growth across Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, and Oyo States," Ubah said. "Through strong partnerships, we've achieved a 93% increase in crop yields, a 205% rise in farmer incomes, and trained over 76,000 farmers, surpassing our initial targets for youth and women participation."
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