Farmers’ groups in south-west Nigeria have agreed to work with the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission in a bid to strengthen food security across the region.
The partnership was announced on Tuesday at a meeting in Ibadan, where representatives met to identify challenges facing farmers and explore ways to improve agricultural productivity.
The chairman of the DAWN Commission, Seye Oyeleye, said the collaboration was aimed at bringing multiple agricultural associations together under a coordinated framework to deliver measurable results.
He said a lack of unified leadership in previous years had made it difficult for governments to engage effectively with farmers’ organisations.
“We are not competing with one another. The goal is self-sufficiency,” Mr Oyeleye said, adding that food security required collective action.
More than a dozen farmers’ associations attended the meeting, he said, and agreed to work together. He also announced plans to hold a Farmers’ General Assembly to guide decisions on farming activities for 2026.
The president of the South-west Commodity Farmers Organisation, Prince Olusegun Asaolu, said dialogue and consensus were essential for progress in the agricultural sector.
“When you want to move forward, you must talk and agree,” he said.
However, Mr Asaolu warned that climate change posed growing risks to food production, calling on governments to invest in irrigation systems and provide modern farming inputs to attract young people into agriculture.
He said the region had natural advantages, including earth dams and the River Basin Authority, but argued that stronger government support was needed to ensure year-round food production.
Farmers at the meeting also appealed for urgent assistance. Gabriel Ogunsanya, a farmer from Osun State, said outdated farming practices were discouraging young people from entering the sector, and called for improved access to modern inputs and irrigation.
A Lagos-based farmer, Omotayo Ajoba, said irrigation was increasingly necessary to cope with changing weather patterns, urging governments at all levels in the region to address farmers’ concerns, particularly on water management.
