Africa’s most populous country lost a staggering $2 billion (N3.2 trillion) yearly owing to the neglect of its agroforestry subsector, a critical component of Nigeria’s agricultural landscape.
Experts say the subsector is capable of generating immense economic benefits to Nigeria if properly harnessed.
This, they note, can be achieved by creating sustainable inclusive businesses which can open opportunities for the gainful employment of women and youth as smallholder farmers and small-scale processors.
Ibrahim Kabiru, president of Nigeria’s Agribusiness Group, disclosed that through reforms which include planting fruit trees like mangoes, oranges, guava, and palm fruits, Nigeria can earn about $2 billion.
“The highly myriad activities sprouting from a veritable agroforestry system can lead to immense value addition that will galvanise in-country industrial growth as well as a sustainable export market,” he explained.
He reaffirmed that with proper support from ministry of Agriculture as well as other agricultural bodies through more effective conservation activities, reforestation activities, creating large orchid farms, and creating green belts to control desertification, the agroforestry sector could drive foreign reserves into the country.
Agroforestry practices, although largely traditional and small-scale in Africa’s most populous nation, are commonly practised in rural communities where farmers grow crops under naturally occurring or deliberately planted trees.
The subsector comprises an avalanche of fruit trees, timber resources, and a host of land covers together creating an ecosystem for the enhancement of crop life as well as livestock and carbon sequestration to balance global climatic conditions and also enhance human economic activities, especially among rural underprivileged as well as clearly underserved communities.
“The sector’s potential for generating a veritable agroforestry economy of an appreciable magnitude far over $2 billion is easily realisable through a thorough reappraisal of the agroforestry system,” noted Kabiru.
According to Ibrahim, who is also president of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), harnessing of all these activities will bring about prosperity to the nation and succour to less privileged and underserved communities, thereby heralding the much-awaited financial inclusion among women and youth who constitute the largest proportion of Nigeria’s population.
Agroforestry in Nigeria is still in its beginning stage, but it presents a low-cost, high-impact solution to many of the country’s interlinked challenges — from food insecurity and land degradation to climate vulnerability.
Therefore, scaling it will require stronger policy integration, awareness, incentives, and investment.
