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One Acre Fund Nigeria, a non-governmental organization dedicated to transforming the lives of smallholder farmers, has achieved a remarkable milestone by planting 9.5 million trees.
This effort aims to boost oxygen levels for approximately 47.5 million people, nearly the entire population of southwest Nigeria, including Lagos.
According to Emmanuel Bamgboye, Field Operations Lead at One Acre Fund, the organization has made significant progress in tackling food security over the past six years.
“We commenced with just 150 farmers in Niger State in 2018 with our credit program. We rapidly expanded our offerings to include trees, rural retail, market access, and extension services to address farmers’ changing needs,” Bamgboye explained.
He added that the “One Acre Fund’s impact extends beyond tree planting. The organization’s credit program has generated approximately $40 million in additional profit for farmers over the past five years.”
This extra income is enough to educate 400,000 children for a whole year. Bamgboye emphasized that the goal transcends income, focusing on lifting families out of poverty, empowering the next generation, and fostering a more resilient, food-secure Nigeria.
The organization has set ambitious targets for the next decade, aiming to support at least 50% of farming households in Nigeria in establishing resilient farming operations and diversified income streams.
Bamgboye envisions planting over 100 million trees and more than 250 million trees cumulatively, restoring land, enhancing soil fertility, and aiding farmers in building climate resilience.
One Acre Fund’s efforts have already shown promising results, with the organization directly serving over 400,000 farmers in the last six years.
However, Bamgboye acknowledges that there is still much work to be done, citing Nigeria’s annual maize production gap of over 4 million metric tons. Despite this challenge, One Acre Fund remains committed to its mission, working tirelessly to transform the lives of smallholder farmers and promote a more sustainable, food-secure future for Nigeria.
