ABUJA Nigeria plans a national digital register of farmers. The Federal Government says it could cut duplicate records and direct fertiliser, credit and other support to genuine producers.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari set out the proposal at a national strategic dialogue in Abuja on 29 September. He said an effective system should identify farmers by name, locate their farms and record what they produce.
The plan matters because weak and fragmented records have long complicated agricultural programmes. When different agencies and states maintain incompatible lists, one farmer may appear several times while another is omitted entirely. That can distort planning, waste public money and prevent smallholders from receiving support intended for them.
Kyari said the register would build on existing work. The ministry is working with the National Identity Management Commission to link farmers to National Identification Numbers. It is also reviewing databases with the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Other work includes the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Digital Villages project and government mapping systems.
States would lead registration, verification and routine updates. Two federal bodies would oversee a common standard so the records can work together. These are the Department of Agricultural Data and Analytics and AGROW’s national coordination office.
The government also intends to link state financing under AGROW to verified growth in the number of farms registered. The aim, Kyari said, is to reward accurate records rather than inflated totals.
Why reliable records matter
A credible register could improve decisions across the food system. Authorities could see where crops grow and which communities lack inputs. They could also track the effects of weather, disease and insecurity. Clear records of identity and production could help lenders and insurers make better decisions.
For individual farmers, the most immediate benefit would be fairer access to fertiliser, seedlings, loans, training and emergency assistance. A transparent system could make it harder for politically connected middlemen or fictitious beneficiaries to capture programmes before support reaches the field.
Budget and National Planning Minister Abubakar Bagudu told the dialogue that an authentic registry would improve planning, budgeting and coordination between the federal and state governments.
Minister of State for Agriculture Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said Nigeria’s agricultural transformation could not rest on fragmented data. He described agricultural data and analytics as productive infrastructure, comparable in importance to roads and power.
The government also sees export potential. Farm and product records can show where goods come from and how they were produced. This matters for exports such as hibiscus, sesame, cashew, ginger and cocoa. Traceability cannot guarantee access to premium markets. However, it can strengthen quality checks and make problems easier to investigate.
Inclusion and privacy will be decisive
The value of the register will depend on who is counted and how the information is used. Many farmers operate in remote communities with weak internet coverage, limited documentation and low digital literacy. Women and young producers may also be less visible in land and cooperative records, even when they provide much of the labour.
Kyari said the system must include women, young people and farmers in areas without network coverage. This will require offline registration and communication in local languages. Checks must also avoid costly travel or paperwork for rural households.
Linking farm records to NINs may reduce duplicate identities, but it raises important data-protection questions. Farmers should know which information is being collected, which institutions can see it and how errors can be corrected. The system will need clear limits on data sharing, strong security and a practical complaints process.
Land information will require particular care. Recording a person as a farmer should not be presented as proof of ownership where land rights are communal, customary, leased or disputed. Designers must distinguish between identity, land use and legal title to avoid creating new conflicts.
Accountability test for government
Nigeria has launched several agricultural databases and beneficiary lists over the years. The new effort will be judged by whether it connects those systems, eliminates duplication and produces information that agencies actually use.
Officials should publish the register’s technical rules and explain how it will be managed. They should specify the data collected, checks required, responsible institutions and privacy safeguards. Public progress reports can show how each state performs without exposing farmers’ personal details.
Government should also explain how registration affects access to support. Some farmers lack a NIN or reliable internet access. They should not suddenly lose essential support while the system is being built.
Three bodies convened the dialogue under AGROW: the agriculture ministry, the Bank of Agriculture and the World Bank. The proposal offers a chance to replace competing lists with a lasting national system. Success will need cooperation across ministries, states, development partners, lenders and farmers’ organisations.
A trusted register could become a foundation for better agricultural policy and more accountable spending. A poorly governed one could merely digitise old exclusions. The next test is whether government turns the proposal into a transparent system that farmers can verify, challenge and use.
Farmers and agricultural organisations can share verified experiences of registration and access to public support with the Podium News newsroom.
