One of Nigeria’s leading agricultural technology companies, ThriveAgric has launched its 2023/2024 dry season farming cycle with the distribution of agricultural input, targeting over 100,000 smallholder farmers in northern Nigeria, to facilitate the production of over 300,000MT of grains.
ThriveAgric’s comprehensive support encompasses the provision of irrigation facilities, drought-resistant input, access to technology, storage, and premium markets, all geared towards optimizing output during this farming cycle. The flag-off was announced at an event in Jigawa state.
This event convened a diverse array of stakeholders, including representatives from financial institutions, government officials, farmers, and community leaders from Jigawa, Bauchi, and Kano while central discussions revolved around the challenges and opportunities associated with crop cultivation during the dry season.
Participants exchanged valuable insights on enhancing crop yields, implementing effective water management, and developing coping mechanisms for the prevailing drought conditions during this period.
Dry-season farming, spanning from August to September in the South of Nigeria and September to April in the North, presents considerable challenges to smallholder farmers.
With limited rainfall and soaring temperatures, success in dry-season farming relies heavily on irrigation while access to water sources and drought-resistant seeds becomes pivotal, directly impacting food security.
According to World Bank, merely 1percent of Nigeria’s agriculture is currently irrigated, underscoring the need for substantial expansion and optimization of irrigation infrastructure to bolster sectoral productivity.
Commenting on the significance of the dry season for Nigeria’s agriculture, the Vice President of Operations at ThriveAgric, Oshone Anavhe, remarked that about 95% of food production in Sub-Saharan Africa depends on rainfed agriculture.
The dry season, however, remains largely untapped for farming due to insufficient infrastructure and the widespread unavailability of drought-resistant inputs.
Anavhe maintained that for the 2023/2024 farming cycle, ThriveAgric is leveraging partnerships to empower thousands of smallholder farmers, particularly those in the wheat, rice, and maize value chain, providing them with technology, irrigation facilities, drought-resistant input, and access to premium markets.
“If adopted nationally, dry season farming has the potential to catalyze food sufficiency in Nigeria,” Anavhe said, prompting a call on the government to invest in enabling infrastructure to attract more investors and engage additional farmers in dry season farming.
Also, the Regional Manager at Sterling Bank, Matthew Omega, expressed the company’s belief in the transformative power of agriculture for economic growth and sustainability.
He highlighted the collaboration with ThriveAgric as a testament to their commitment to offering innovative and accessible financial solutions for farmers. He stressed that the collaboration aims to empower smallholder farmers and agricultural communities, promoting responsible financial practices for a future where prosperity and sustainability coexist.
