Agriculture in Nigeria is characterized by a persistent gap between potential yields and what smallholders actually achieve on their farms. 80% of the food supply comes from smallholder farms, but most of these farms are producing only a fraction of their potential. Farmers across the six geopolitical zones are typically far less productive than those in other countries.
CropIT facilitates training on good agricultural practices to help farmers learn how to adequately manage the health of their land, effectively cultivate their crops, and increase their harvests. To help farmers build their skills, CropIT has built a network of Extension Agents (EAs) who work within rural communities to provide training to farmers. These networks help farmers learn about best practices, give them somewhere to turn when they have questions about their crops and connect them to reputable buyers and suppliers. This training is critical to improving smallholder farmers’ yields—and, in turn, addressing hunger and poverty in rural Nigeria.
Digital Training
In addition to physical training, our Extension Agents use smartphones and videos to deliver specific training modules created by CropIT to farmers’ groups. This training improves farmers’ skills and knowledge in areas such as planting techniques, irrigation, pesticides, crop rotation, and crop storage after harvest. We also educate families about the benefits of inclusive family farming, such as empowering women to make purchasing decisions and learn good agricultural practices alongside their husbands. When women are also involved, farms operate more successfully and productively.
As a result of these trainings, farmers:
- Increase their yields: Learning how to properly utilize inputs can drastically improve a farmer's productivity throughout the season.
- Build their skills in farm management: Through training, farmers learn how to better manage both the business and agricultural aspects of their farms.
- Earn more income: With significant yield increases, farmers can earn more at harvest and repay their loans in full without straining their household's cash flow.
- Improve the local economy: As their farms grow, they also create more demand for products such as fertilizer, pesticides, and irrigation systems, improving the entire agricultural economy