Growing hope in Northeast Nigeria: farmers, seeds and the power of resilience

Farming in Northeast Nigeria is not easy ...

Between unpredictable weather, insurgency and the challenges of finding good seeds, farmers like Amina from Borno State have faced more than their fair share of struggles.

“Every planting season felt like walking blindfolded,” she recalls, as droughts and inconsistent rainfall have made farming look like chasing the wind. Amina would put her seeds in the ground and hope for rain, but often it would not come when she needed it. With poor harvests year after year, Amina found herself barely able to feed her family, let alone dream of something better.

But things started looking up when Amina heard about climate-resilient seeds from the Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity (RRA). At first, she was not sure if these seeds could really make a difference, but she decided to give them a shot.

And guess what? Fast forward to harvest season, and boom! Amina’s fields are thriving. “Now, my harvest is better, and I can take care of my family more confidently,” she says, her smile shining through her words.

RRA is helping farmers in the Northeast thrive despite the odds. Under the Seed Input and Supply System intervention, RRA focuses on getting high-quality, climate-smart seeds into the hands of farmers like Amina and the know-how to use them. These seeds are built to survive tough conditions such as less rain, more pests, and all the other challenges farmers face.

Here’s how it works: RRA collaborates with local and regional seed companies, research institutions and farmer associations to ensure farmers have access to high-quality, affordable seeds.

Through these partnerships, seed companies engage extension agents, direct sales agents, community seed entrepreneurs and outgrowers to act as retailers of their climate-smart seeds. This network ensures that quality seeds reach the farmers who need them most, bridging the gap between suppliers and rural communities.

And let’s not forget their Input Fairs. Picture a big, community market buzzing with farmers, quality seeds, expert advice, and countless 'aha' moments for farmers. At the fair, farmers do not just leave with seeds, they learn about planting techniques, climate adaptation and managing their farms better. Plus, the fairs create a direct link between farmers and seed suppliers. Win-win!

Take Albit and Agro Consult, for instance, a seed company from Adamawa State. Back in 2020, Albit was struggling; one office, five employees, and a small team of two seed growers. Fast forward to now and it is a whole different story.

RRA helped Albit train its outgrowers, get better foundation seeds and meet national quality standards. Albit also joined RRA’s Input Fairs, connected with more farmers, and grew its customer base.

By 2024, Albit had gone from one small office to six; trained 3,000 farmers; and worked with 150 outgrowers to produce six different crop varieties. Their seed production shot up from just under 10 tons in 2020 to a whopping 205 tons in 2023.

The input fair organised by RRA has recorded incredible numbers: over 12,000 farmers attended the fair in 2024; 100 million NGA (USD $64,273) in sales; and a growing network of farmers using climate-smart seeds.

Farmers like Lawan from Yobe State have switched from using self-seeds to using climate-smart seeds and are harvesting earlier, selling their crops at great prices and dreaming big. “I harvested earlier this year and sold my produce for a good price,” he says. “Now, I’m not just feeding my family I’m planning for my kids’ future.”

Challenges and lessons learned

Of course, it has not all been smooth sailing. Some farmers were sceptical at first about why change what they had been doing for years. RRA learned that it takes time and trust to show farmers the value of improved seeds and better practices. Input Fairs in farming communities have been a huge success, but fairs in urban areas did not perform as well. 

What happens when RRA leaves?

While RRA has done an amazing job of bringing people together, the big question is what happens when they leave? One thing is for sure, farmers are adapting. They are changing old farming habits for new techniques, reaching out for information, and building resilience.

Companies like Albit and big players like Premier Seed are stepping up in a big way. Albit is leading in organising and sustaining input fairs, facilitating farmers’ financing, and conducting ongoing training with the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC).

Premier Seed has committed to invest NGN 750 million (USD $482,051) in a seed processing plant on a 17-hectare plot in the region. This will provide direct employment for 1,000 youths and engage 3,000 farmers as outgrowers of climate-smart seeds. 

What is the bigger picture?
At its core, RRA’s work is not just about farming, but about hope and showing farmers that, even in the toughest conditions, there’s a way forward. 

Amina’s fields, Lawan’s success, and all these partnerships are proof that, with the right support, farmers in Northeast Nigeria can not just survive, but thrive. 

Discover more about the innovative work of RRA by reading the full learning brief: Building climate resilience in northeast Nigeria through the adoption of climate adapted seeds

NOTE on the blog
RRA ended in March 2024 after a 3 months no-cost extension despite the funding cuts and stop-work order from USAID. The activity was able to close-out contractually with over 85% of her partners. Partners continued to work at their own cost in most communities and are yielding the desired outcomes RRA poised to influence in the region.
View the RRA final report