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Stakeholders demand bigger agriculture budget, timely funding to tackle food insecurity – EnviroNews
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Stakeholders in Nigeria’s agriculture and food systems have called on the Federal Government to significantly increase public investment in agriculture, warning that chronic underfunding, delayed budget releases and weak implementation continue to undermine food security, job creation and economic growth.
The call formed the centerpiece of a communiqué issued at the close of the three-day National Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on the 2027 AgriFood Systems Budget, held in Lagos from August 5 to 7, 2026.
The meeting was jointly organised by ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), GIZ Global Programme Sustainable Agricultural Systems and Policies (AgSys) Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning (FMBEP), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the ECOWAS Commission.
Participants drawn from federal and state government institutions, the National Assembly, development partners, civil society organisations, research institutions, academia, farmers’ organisations, the private sector and the media deliberated on strategies to align Nigeria’s agricultural financing with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP), the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), and the African Union’s Kampala Declaration (2026–2035).
The stakeholders noted that despite recent increases in agricultural allocations, Nigeria remains far below its continental commitment to devote at least 10 per cent of public expenditure to agriculture.
According to the communiqué, aggregate public spending on agriculture across the Federal Government, the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory stood at about 4.58 per cent in 2026, less than half of the CAADP target.
The meeting further observed that only about half of approved agricultural capital budgets at the state level were implemented between 2023 and 2025, largely due to delayed releases and poor execution.
Participants warned that the delays have severe consequences because agriculture is highly seasonal, with late disbursement of funds resulting in missed planting windows, hurried procurement processes and poor value for money.
The communiqué also highlighted the absence of robust systems for measuring the actual impact of agricultural spending on food production, farmer incomes, employment, nutrition, climate resilience and poverty reduction.
Stakeholders argued that full implementation of approved agriculture and livestock capital budgets could generate an estimated 3.5 million direct jobs – 2.1 million at the federal level and 1.4 million across states and the FCT – while boosting internally generated revenue and supporting economic diversification.
Concerns were also raised over the composition of agricultural budgets.
Participants criticised the inclusion of non-agricultural constituency projects within agriculture-related ministries and agencies, saying the practice diverts scarce resources from strategic priorities.
Similarly, they questioned the concentration of the National Agricultural Development Fund’s 2026 capital expenditure on fertiliser programmes, which civil society estimates account for as much as 98 per cent of the fund’s capital budget despite its broader statutory mandate.
The meeting identified insecurity, climate change, land degradation and unsafe agricultural practices as major threats to Nigeria’s food system.
Stakeholders said persistent insecurity continues to reduce food production, increase food prices and deepen rural poverty.
They also expressed concern over increasing floods, droughts, rising temperatures, deforestation, poor land management, oil pollution, mining activities and the widespread misuse of hazardous pesticides, all of which threaten agricultural productivity, biodiversity and public health.
Participants further warned that excessive pesticide residues have contributed to the rejection of Nigerian agricultural exports in international markets, while raising concerns over alleged use of harmful chemicals such as formalin in fish preservation.
To address these challenges, stakeholders proposed a comprehensive 2027 Harmonised AgriFood Systems Shadow Budget valued at approximately ₦3.3 trillion as a citizen-informed framework for strengthening agricultural investments across six strategic priorities aligned with CAADP commitments.
The communiqué urged the Federal Government, states and local governments to progressively increase agricultural expenditure towards the 10 per cent CAADP benchmark while protecting allocations from in-year budget cuts.
It also recommended that the 2027 Shadow Budget should serve as an important planning input during the preparation of the national budget.
Other key recommendations include front-loading budget releases to coincide with the agricultural calendar, removing administrative bottlenecks that delay payments, strengthening legislative oversight of budget implementation, expanding agricultural finance and insurance, promoting climate-resilient and agroecological farming, improving extension services, investing in storage and agro-processing infrastructure, and strengthening data systems for monitoring public expenditure.
The stakeholders further called for greater investments in women, youth and persons with disabilities through gender-responsive agricultural budgeting, improved access to land, affordable finance, agricultural technologies and value-chain opportunities.
They also advocated increased funding for agroecology, organic inputs, sustainable land management and climate-smart agriculture to improve resilience while reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers and hazardous pesticides.
The communiqué urged government to strengthen the National Agricultural Development Fund through improved monitoring, decentralised implementation and stronger partnerships with cooperatives and community organisations.
Participants also recommended institutionalising the participation of civil society organisations, farmer groups and the media in agricultural budget preparation, implementation monitoring and accountability processes.
The meeting concluded with a call for stronger political leadership, predictable financing and measurable accountability to transform Nigeria’s agrifood systems, improve food and nutrition security, create millions of jobs and position the country to meet its commitments under the African Union’s Kampala Declaration.
The communiqué was endorsed by a broad coalition of organisations, including ActionAid Nigeria, the Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Food Security, Budget and Economic Planning, Finance, Environment, Livestock Development, Marine and Blue Economy, the National Agricultural Development Fund, the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, the National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, ECOWAS, GIZ, the Small-Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), Young Farmers in Nigeria (YoFiN), COANSA, ROPPA and several other government agencies, development partners, research institutions, private sector organisations and civil society groups.