agriculture

Despite Nigeria’s enormous agricultural potential, the sector remains largely under-tapped. More than 80 per cent of farmers in Nigeria are smallholder farmers who face numerous challenges, including low productivity due to a lack of adoption of improved farming methods, inputs and access to credit. Hence, the need to explore the option of renewable energy (RE) as a means to improve agriculture in Nigeria.

Many rural farmers rely on rain to meet their agricultural needs, which has proven inefficient and unreliable. As climate change continues to wreak havoc on our food systems, dependency on the rain will become even more unreliable. RE solutions offer an opportunity to address these challenges and develop Nigeria’s agricultural sector. The first step to achieving sustainable agriculture is to understand how vital energy is to its progress and growth.

Agriculture constitutes Nigeria’s most significant non-oil revenue, contributing 24.45 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2020 and employing about 70 per cent of the entire labour force. Modern agriculture requires energy to power farm machinery, equipment and facilities. Adopting clean technologies for our agricultural production and processing systems is critical to moving beyond subsistence farming towards commercial agriculture. This would enable food security, added value in rural areas and expansion into new agricultural markets.

Exploring RE as a means to improve agriculture in Nigeria can be achieved using solar photovoltaic panels to aid the preservation of food products, especially in the country’s northern regions. Nigeria’s geographical position along the equator ensures adequate sunshine, giving a high potential for solar energy utilization. Also, solar energy can power irrigation systems, reducing the dependence on rainfall and increasing crop yields.

Wind energy can as well be harnessed to power farms and rural communities, providing reliable and affordable energy. In addition, huge volumes of agricultural wastes can be converted into potential sources of energy that can be plowed back into agricultural production and processing activities with the use of a biodigester. These waste products include livestock manure, corn cobs, cassava peelings, rice husks, groundnut shells, sawdust.

Exploring RE as a means to improve agriculture has shown great promise in some African countries. In 2022, Kenya launched the first agrivoltaics system, developed to deliver solar electricity, crop production and rainwater harvesting on the same land area to provide to provide food security benefits.

Despite the potential benefits RE solutions in developing Nigeria’s agricultural sector, several challenges include a lack of awareness about these solutions, high costs, limited technical expertise among farmers, and a lack of supportive policies and regulations to promote adoption.

In addressing these challenges faced in the agricultural sector, there is a need for increased investment in RE technologies and infrastructure, which includes providing financing options accessible to smallholder farmers and rural communities. Furthermore, awareness and education on RE technologies among farmers and rural communities must be increased. This is achievable through training programs and awareness campaigns.

Finally, supportive policies and regulations are crucial to promoting the adaptation of RE solutions in the agricultural sector. These policies can include incentives for farmers and rural communities to adopt these technologies and regulations that encourage integrating RE solutions in agricultural value chains.

RE solutions offer a significant opportunity to develop Nigeria’s agricultural sector and address the challenges that hinder its growth. By investing in these technologies and infrastructure, increasing awareness and education on renewable energy technologies, and promoting supportive policies and regulations, Nigeria can unlock the potential of its agricultural sector and achieve sustainable development.