By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi
One Acre Fund Nigeria has announced it’s target to support two million smallholder farmers across the country by 2030, with Bauchi State positioned to play a central role in achieving this milestone.
The announcement was made by Muazu Mohammed, from the organization’s Government Relations Partnership Department, during a Harvest Day event organized to showcase the success of the non-profit’s local demonstration farms.
According to him, while One Acre Fund has not yet fully rolled out its core food and credit programmes in Bauchi, the organization successfully established demonstration farms over the last year, adding that the sites were used to test specific seed varieties and high-quality fertilizers to ensure their viability in the local environment.
He noted that following the high-quality yields displayed at the event, local communities are already urging the organization to fast-track its full expansion into the state.
“We have had a lot of communities asking us to quickly start the core credit programme in Bauchi.Once fully established, the core programme will offer farmers agricultural loans alongside dedicated retail shops for direct access to the farmers” Mohammed stated, noting that the demand is driven by the visible success of the trial farms and One Acre Fund’s reputation in other regions.
He said ddressing environmental challenges in the region, One Acre Fund has distributed over 20,000 tree seedlings across Bauchi’s various geographical zones.
“The distribution includes both economic trees and climate-resilient species designed to combat desert encroachment, prevent desertification, and improve soil moisture retention to secure future bumper harvests” he said.
To shield farmers from counterfeit agricultural inputs, Mohammed highlighted the organization’s strict direct-to-farm supply chain, stressing that One Acre Fund procures fertilizers directly from reputable manufacturers, completely bypassing third-party middlemen.
“Part of our quality assurance is that we deliver to the doorsteps of farmers . The organization primarily supplies Urea and the popular NPK 15:15:15 formulation, which has proven to be the most effective blend for Bauchi’s specific soil and geographical conditions” Mohammed explained.
As the organization eyes its 2030 growth strategy, Mohammed issued a call to the Bauchi State Government to maximize its resources in supporting local agriculture, emphasizing that One Acre Fund is actively open to public-private partnerships.
Turning his message to the farmers, Mohammed reassured them of the organization’s farmer-first credit model.
“One Acre Fund operates on a zero-hidden-profit basis for its credit program, farmers only pay back the exact value of what they receive. Furthermore, the organization is currently developing agricultural insurance packages to protect farmers against poor harvests and climate-induced losses” Hqe said.
Also speaking, Mr Habeeb Lawal, the Commercial and Technical Manager at Seed Co Group in Nigeria said that
the Agriculture technology company Seed Co Nigeria hosted a major showcase event in Bauchi State,, demonstrating how its proprietary hybrid seed varieties can nearly triple local crop yields and significantly boost farmer productivity across the Northeast.
He said that the event focused on closing the agricultural output gap in the region, adding that traditionally, local farmers harvest use to get between 1 to 2.5 metric tonnes per hectare.
He noted that by transitioning to Seed Co’s advanced hybrid varieties, farmers are projected to achieve yields of up to 6 metric tonnes per hectare.
“Seed Co, which specializes in certified crop seeds, conducts market-oriented research and breeding programs at its dedicated research stations. While hybrid maize remains its primary focus, the company’s proprietary product portfolio also includes certified seeds for wheat, soya beans, barley, and sorghum”
“Established in Nigeria in 2014, Seed Co has spent over four years embedding its operations within Bauchi State and the wider Northeast region to support local farmers. The company recently celebrated a milestone of five years of driving agricultural impact across the African continent. Company representatives emphasized that deploying high-yielding hybrid seedlings is a critical step toward enhancing food security and scaling up overall farming efficiency in Nigeria.”He said.
key stakeholders from BASEPA, BSADP, Ministry of Agriculture, traditional and religious leaders who spoke at the event, commended One Acre Fund Nigeria and Seed Co Nigeria for the initiative of empowering farmers to enhance food security in the state, saying that government is ready to support and partner with them
