Ask Atiku Abubakar — Official Citizen Engagement Platform

What are your plans to boost food production and support farmers through mechanized farming?

On improving food production for Nigeria, my plan expands large-scale irrigation systems, dams and boreholes, for year-round farming, encourages commercial agriculture alongside smallholder development, and deploys Agro-Rangers to secure farmland against attacks. I will prioritize farm-to-market rural feeder roads under public-private partnerships, establish regional agro-processing zones near farming clusters, and deploy off-grid solar cold-storage facilities to eliminate post-harvest spoilage. I will also put Nigeria's smallholder farmers at the center of agricultural policy, strengthening local production, stabilizing food prices, and reducing dependence on imports, while integrating smallholder farmers as outgrowers, rural employers, and producers of specialty and niche products. I will elevate food security to the National Security Council agenda, align federal, state, and local strategies under a unified national framework, and establish strategic reserves and emergency systems, including national and regional food reserves and rapid response mechanisms for food shocks and price volatility. I will strengthen the linkages between farmers, processors, and markets, improve rural-urban logistics and transport infrastructure, and support agro-processing zones and local value addition. I will also put abandoned water dams across federal, state, and local levels back into use, enabling year-round farming for smallholder farmers, and invest in aggregation centres, warehouses, and cold chain systems to reduce post-harvest losses.

On mechanized farming, yes, I intend to increase Nigeria's agricultural mechanization to significantly improve productivity. This comes alongside targeted investment in inputs, extension services, and market access, matching the right policy tools to the needs of different categories of farmers. My policy also deploys a direct e-wallet input delivery system to provide subsidized fertilizers, high-yield seeds, and pest protection directly to verified smallholders, bypassing middlemen, while expanding low-interest agricultural loans via the Bank of Agriculture.

Where this comes from

p. 3 Introduction Atiku Abubakar: Answers to questions from the public 2026-10-02 ›
Q6: Farmers produce food, but bad roads, poor market access and post-harvest losses mean produce either spoils or becomes expensive before reaching consumers. How will you solve this? Answer: My administration will prioritize farm-to-market rural feeder roads under public-private partnerships, establish regional agro-processing zones near farming clusters, and deploy off-grid solar cold-storage facilities to eliminate post-harvest spoilage. Q7: Fertilizer and other farming inputs are too expensive. How will you make farming more affordable and profitable for farmers? Answer: My policy deploys a direct e-wallet input delivery system to provide subsidized fertilizers, high-yield seeds, and pest protection directly to verified smallholders, bypassing middlemen while expanding low-interest agricultural loans via the Bank of Agriculture. Q8: Nigeria has large areas of agricultural land but still imports significant amounts of food. What is your plan for increasing domestic food production and food security? Answer: My strategy expands large-scale irrigation systems (dams and boreholes) for year-round farming, encourages commercial agriculture alongside smallholder development, and deploys Agro-Rangers to secure farmland against attacks.
p. 12 MANIFESTO OF THE AFRICAN DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (ADC) Party Manifesto 2027-2031 2026-10-05 ›
● Unlock climate and green finance by building structured funding pipelines that attract green bonds, carbon market investments, and development partner financing, while improving Nigeria's capacity to absorb and effectively deploy climate funds. ● Boost agricultural productivity and food supply by scaling climate-smart agriculture. 1.6. AGRICULTURE The ADC will: 1. Make food security a national security priority, recognizing that a nation that cannot feed itself is a nation at risk. ● We will elevate food security to the National Security Council agenda ● We will align federal, state, and local government strategies under a unified national framework ● We will establish strategic reserves and emergency systems by building and maintaining national and regional food reserves, developing rapid response mechanisms for food shocks and price volatility, and coordinating humanitarian and social protection responses ● We will strengthen the linkages between farmers, processors, and markets; improve rural-urban logistics and transport infrastructure; and support agro-processing zones and local value addition ● We will increase Nigeria's agricultural mechanization to significantly improve productivity
p. 12 MANIFESTO OF THE AFRICAN DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (ADC) Party Manifesto 2027-2031 2026-10-05 ›
2. Put Nigeria's smallholder farmers at the center of agricultural policy. We will support farmers to produce more and earn more, while protecting Nigerian agriculture - ● We will ensure that government policies strengthen local production, stabilize food prices, and reduce dependence on imports. ● Integrate smallholder farmers more productively into the agricultural system as outgrowers, rural employers, and producers of specialty and niche products, ensuring that farming at every scale contributes to and benefits from national agricultural growth 34
p. 13 1.7. ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS Party Manifesto 2027-2031 2026-10-05 ›
● Support farmers through targeted investment in inputs, mechanization, extension services, and market access - matching the right policy tools to the needs of different categories of farmers ● Put into use the abandoned water dams across federal, state, and local levels to enable year-round farming for smallholder farmers ● Develop the entire agricultural value chain to enhance productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, and invest in aggregation centres, warehouses, and cold chain systems 3. Stabilize food prices and protect Nigerians from food inflation. We will take targeted and coordinated action to reduce food price volatility, protect households from sudden spikes, and ensure stable and affordable food supply across the country. ● Build and maintain a transparent strategic grain reserves release system to stabilize supply and release food into the market during shortages ● Strengthen market monitoring systems to track food prices in real time and enable early government response ● Coordinate with states and the private sector to ensure efficient distribution of food during supply shocks
p. 29 3.1. POLICE REFORM (UNDER SECURITY) Party Manifesto 2027-2031 2026-10-05 ›
● Reduce the incentives for kidnapping by making the system riskier, less profitable, and easier to dismantle ● Disrupt financial flows that enable kidnapping, including ransom payments, laundering channels, and support networks ● Deploy intelligence and financial tracking systems to identify, monitor, and shut down kidnapping operations ● Introduce strict legal and financial consequences for individuals and entities that facilitate or profit from ransom systems 11.Make farming safe again. Recognizing that insecurity on farms directly drives food shortages and rising prices, we will treat farmer security as a core pillar of food policy Details: ● Secure farming communities and agricultural corridors through targeted security deployments ● Establish protected farming zones in high-risk areas to enable safe cultivation and harvest ● Integrate security planning into agricultural policy, linking farm protection to food supply stability ● Support early warning and rapid response systems for rural communities facing threats ● Reduce food inflation by ensuring farmers can produce, harvest, and transport goods without disruption
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