The Readiness Assessment for the Nigerian Farmers Soil Health Scheme (NFSHS), a nationwide audit to map soil degradation, align public spending, and anchor Nigeria’s food security and climate-smart commitments, was initiated by the Federal Government in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and other stakeholders.
The initiative intends to map soil degradation, establish 774 soil testing laboratories (one per LGA), and create the Nigeria Soil Information System (NISIS) to provide customized soil health cards and crop-specific fertilizer recommendations, according to Sen. Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, minister of state for agriculture and food security, who spoke at the launch ceremony in Abuja on Monday.
“We convene today because a nation that cannot feed itself cannot secure its future,” said Sen. Dr. Abdullahi. Without healthy soil, no country can exist.
He pointed out that a large amount of Nigeria’s farmland has been depleted due to years of erosion, climate stress, and nutrient depletion. “We will not be able to accomplish the goals outlined in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0), the National Agriculture Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP 2022–2027), or the National Agriculture Resilience Framework if we do not take decisive action,” the minister cautioned in a statement issued by Ezeaja Ikemefuna, Head of the Department of Information.
The minister underlined that the readiness assessment would give local, state, and federal governments a single set of facts to direct spending. “This assessment will show where every naira will yield the highest return, the best nutrition, and the greatest resilience, as His Excellency, Mr. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, signed the 2026 budget appropriation.” The
He went on to say that the Initiative would focus on five key areas: the alignment of state budgets, fertilizer regulations, and extension guidelines with soil health objectives; the adequacy, turnaround time, and accuracy of operational soil laboratories; the readiness of private labs, NISIS, and Agricultural Development Programs (ADPs) to test 2 million farms annually; the integration of soil data with financial platforms to unlock loans for farmers; and the obstacles that prevent smallholders from accessing soil testing due to factors like cost, distance, or ignorance.
According to Sen. Abdullahi, the NFSHS is essential to Nigeria’s NDC 3.0 goals, which call for agriculture to account for 0.4% of all emission reductions by 2035. In addition to lowering emissions of nitrous oxide and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers, healthy soils store carbon. Agroecology and agroforestry alone can reduce CO2 emissions by 158–712 million tons, he continued.
The minister emphasized that the program directly supports the Renewed Hope Agenda and acts as the main pillar of climate-smart agriculture under NATIP 2022–2027. “No farmer can achieve commercialization on degraded soil,” echoing President Tinubu’s appeal to transition from subsistence to commercial farming.
The minister emphasized the next stage of the full implementation of the Soil Health Scheme, stating that the assessment is a first step toward the comprehensive Soil Health Scheme, which will increase soil testing through mobile laboratories and the Nigeria Soil Information System; scale up organic solutions like biochar, lime, and cover crops; improve extension services with digital tools for site-specific recommendations to end generic prescriptions; bundle finance by working with NADF, the Bank of Agriculture, and private partners to link soil inputs with credit and insurance; and connect to watershed restoration and erosion control across 12 river basins as committed in NDC 3.0.
He described the advancements achieved through the NFSHS initiative:
creation of the concept note for NFSHS;
The National Technical Executive Committee was established.
The Soil Health Card’s design
creation of the Nigeria Soil Information System (NISIS);
workshops for regional stakeholders held in Abuja’s FCT, North, and South;
NFSHS’s incorporation into the ECOWAS Regional Fertilizer Hub
cooperation with the Bill Gates Foundation;
provision of cutting-edge lab equipment to twelve states;
instruction in Soil Health Card modules for technologists and laboratory technicians in the North and South;
Soil health study tours were carried out in Togo, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
“This is your scheme as much as it is the federal government’s,” the minister urged the commissioners and governors.
“State Soil Desks will be established in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to co-manage data, with State Agricultural Development Programs (ADPs) and ARMTI-trained agents leading delivery, and there will be no more generic fertilizer recommendations,” he disclosed. It.
According to Sen. Abdullahi, “The FG will sign Soil Health Compacts with each state to match federal investments with state commitments on funding, land, and staffing.”
“The approach for the Sahel must vary from that of the humid forest,” he continued. “The soils of Borno differ from those of Lagos.”
He invited the private sector to invest in the market for organic inputs, testing services, and digital advisory and urged development partners to coordinate technical support with national systems.
“You are a great asset; you feed the nation,” he reassured the Nigerian farmers. You are the target of this scheme. The health of your soil affects your children’s nutrition, your yields, and your earnings. We’ll make sure you don’t get left behind.
Sen. Abdullahi outlined five goals for 2027: a 30% reduction in postharvest losses in targeted value chains; 10 million farmers receiving soil-test-based advisories; 5 million hectares under improved practices, such as organic fertilizers, lime, cover crops, and agroforestry; Digital Soil Health Cards distributed via mobile throughout all 774 LGAs; and youth/women-led soil enterprises in testing, composting, and biochar in six geopolitical zones.
Nigeria’s agriculture supports over 200 million people and employs 70% of the rural population, but it faces low productivity, growing climate risks, and NDC 3.0 emission reduction obligations, according to Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, who was represented by Mr. Abana Waziri Abba, Director of the Department of Farm Input Support Services. “What we do not measure, we cannot effectively manage.”
Dr. Ogunbiyi went on to say that the initiative would restore soil health by providing 5 million farmers with one-stop soil labs and mobile kits by 2030; training 36,000 youth and extension agents as certified soil doctors; a live digital soil map connected to NiMet weather data; carbon payments plus a 5% interest rebate from NADF for farmers who increase organic matter. “You should test your soil before making any investments because it is similar to your bank account.”
He suggested that state governments designate a soil health desk officer and allow assessment teams complete access to ADPs, labs, and farmer organizations.
The assessment should serve as the “single evidence base for all soil-related projects in Nigeria,” he urged development partners.
“The time for planning without evidence is over,” he said. It is no longer appropriate to discuss climate issues without first guaranteeing farmer profitability.
Dr. Hussein Gadain, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) representative in Nigeria and to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said in his Goodwill Message that the initiative would improve Nigeria’s soil health system and increase agricultural output.
In order to achieve food and nutrition security, he promised to provide ongoing technical assistance for Nigeria’s agricultural transformation.
“The launch of the readiness assessment signifies a pivotal achievement in our pursuit of healthy soil, sustainable agriculture, and food security in Nigeria,” stated Mr. Olanipekun Oshadiya, Director of the Department of Agricultural Land Climate Change Management Service, during a vote of thanks.
“The ministers, Senator Abubakar Kyari, and Dr. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (CON), for their visionary leadership in advancing this initiative, also commend GIZ, OCP, AGRA, Gates Foundation, Sasakawa Africa, and our development partners for their dedication to boost agricultural productivity and build resilience against climate change,” he said.
