3.5M IDPs: NALDA Launches Restoration Project to Reinstate Displaced Farmers

The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has initiated a Restoration Project aimed at reintegrating displaced farmers back into agricultural activities. This initiative seeks to restore the livelihoods of farmers and enhance national food security, particularly as insecurity has displaced a significant portion of Nigeria’s farming population—over three million people—leaving them unable to cultivate their land.

In a statement in Abuja, NALDA’s Executive Secretary, Cornelius Adebayo, explained that rather than relying on short-term humanitarian aid, the project would provide displaced farmers with land, agricultural inputs, and training to resume productive farming.

“This initiative ensures that displaced farmers can not only produce food for their own sustenance but also contribute to national grain reserves. The government can purchase their produce for price control and food distribution, stabilizing the market,” Adebayo said.

Adebayo also outlined several transformative agricultural initiatives aimed at increasing food production, reducing unemployment, and encouraging private sector involvement in agribusiness.

A major component of the plan is the Renewed Hope Farm Settlement Project, inspired by the successful farm estates of the Western Region. This project seeks to bring together farmers in well-equipped, protected environments to address challenges like farmer-herder conflicts, logistics, monitoring, and security.

In this project, NALDA is introducing trenching systems—four-foot deep barriers around farm clusters—to improve security by preventing unauthorized access, ensuring that inputs are distributed only to the intended beneficiaries and facilitating mechanization access.

“We are digging protective trenches around farms to ensure unwanted parties cannot invade, which enhances security and guarantees that government-provided inputs reach the farmers directly,” Adebayo explained.

Recognizing Nigeria’s dependency on fish imports, NALDA is also rolling out the Aqua Hope Project to promote aquaculture, especially in riverine states like Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom. The project aims to reduce Nigeria’s annual fish import of over one million tons by establishing fish farming clusters equipped with processing, packaging, and cold storage facilities.

“Through these clusters, we are not only increasing fish production but also fostering entrepreneurship in the fish farming industry,” Adebayo said.

Additionally, to combat seasonal price hikes and inefficiencies in open-field vegetable cultivation, NALDA is promoting greenhouse farming. The agency is establishing high-tech greenhouse clusters in major consumption areas such as Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, ensuring year-round production and reducing reliance on distant suppliers.

“In developed countries, open-field vegetable farming is not the primary method for ensuring food security. We must adopt modern agricultural practices,” Adebayo emphasized.

One of the key hubs for this greenhouse initiative is Shagamu, Ogun State, which is strategically located near a new cargo airport, opening up potential for both local and export trade and foreign exchange earnings.

Furthermore, NALDA is collaborating with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to distribute solar-powered irrigation pumps, reducing farmers’ dependence on costly petrol-powered systems.

To ensure sustainability, NALDA is focusing on large-scale projects, prioritizing farms no smaller than 500 hectares to maximize output and profitability. The agency is also working to revive and repurpose abandoned farm estates through strategic partnerships with local communities and agribusiness investors.

With these comprehensive initiatives, NALDA aims to empower displaced farmers, enhance agricultural productivity, and contribute significantly to Nigeria’s food security and economic growth.