Climate change has significantly affected Nigeria’s agricultural ecosystem through erratic rainfall, rising temperatures, and heatwaves, leading to reduced yields of key staples such as maize, cassava, and rice. These changes have increased pest and disease pressure, caused land degradation, and posed a major threat to livestock and fisheries due to heat stress, reduced pasture availability, declining water levels, and pollution. Without adaptation, experts project a 20–30 percent drop in overall agricultural productivity by 2050.
The socio-economic implications are severe—farmers face declining incomes, rising food insecurity, and deepening poverty, particularly among rural communities that depend heavily on agriculture. As livelihoods become more fragile, migration and competition for scarce resources may intensify, potentially fueling conflict. In addition, climate-induced agricultural pressures are accelerating deforestation as smallholder farmers clear more forest land in search of fertile soil, further degrading the environment and threatening long-term sustainability.
According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, climate change is directly linked to humanitarian emergencies arising from heatwaves, wildfires, floods, tropical storms, and hurricanes. Currently, about 3.6 billion people live in areas highly vulnerable to climate impacts. WHO projects that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths annually from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress, with the immediate health costs estimated between US$2–4 billion per year by 2030.
Tackling climate change impacts through the StreFaS Initiative
In response to these challenges, Nestlé Nigeria, in partnership with AGRA and TechnoServe, launched the Strengthening Farmers’ and SMEs’ Resilience through Climate Smart Grain Production and Accessing the Structured Markets (StreFaS) initiative, a transformative climate-smart agriculture programme designed to strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural system.
The three-year StreFaS programme, funded by AGRA and Nestlé, was launched in June 2024 and will run until October 2027. Its main goal is to support 25,000 smallholder farmers and eight aggregators across Kaduna and Nasarawa states, promoting sustainable production of maize, soybean, rice, and sorghum. The initiative integrates regenerative agriculture across every step of the value chain, with a strong focus on empowering youth and women.
Dr Rufus Idris, AGRA’s country director for Nigeria, in an exclusive interview with Pharmanewsonline emphasises the importance of the project in mitigating climate risks and enhancing competitiveness through multi-stakeholder collaboration. “The project directly addresses climate risk by promoting regenerative agriculture and climate-smart practices for maize, soybean, rice, and sorghum. This strengthens the capacity of smallholder farmers and the entire farming ecosystem to withstand climatic and economic shocks, a central goal of Strategy 3.0. By linking 25,000 smallholder farmers and eight aggregators to structured, formal markets, including Nestlé’s supply chain, StreFaS is reinforcing the grain value chain. This ensures farmers can access better tools, capacity building, and premium pricing for climate-smart produce, driving market functionality and inclusive growth.”
Speaking on Nestlé’s contribution, Mr Wassim Elhusseini, CEO of Nestlé Nigeria, said, “With an investment of over $1,000,000 in this project over the next three years, we aim to help establish regenerative agriculture as the standard in the food industry, addressing environmental and social priorities holistically. Our partnership in this initiative underscores our commitment to sustainable sourcing and decarbonizing our value chain, as we globally aim to source at least 50 percent of our key ingredients from farmers practicing regenerative agriculture by 2030.”
In a separate interview, Mrs Adesuwa Akinboro, country director of TechnoServe Nigeria, explained that the StreFaS initiative aims to drive systemic transformation in Nigeria’s grain sector by embedding climate-smart and regenerative agriculture (CSA and RA) as standard practice among smallholder farmers and SMEs by 2027. “The initiative promotes sustainable land management, improved seeds, soil restoration, and climate-resilient technologies that enhance productivity while protecting natural resources. Beyond farm-level interventions, StreFaS strengthens SMEs and aggregators to build viable businesses, access finance, and connect farmers to structured markets. The overall goal is to establish a resilient, inclusive, and market-driven agricultural system that delivers environmental sustainability and economic empowerment across the value chain.”
Inclusive farmers empowerment through the StreFaS Initiative
The StreFaS project demonstrates that building a resilient agricultural value chain goes beyond promoting climate-smart grain production, it also involves empowering farmers, both male and female, including the youth, with the knowledge and tools needed to boost productivity. This inclusive approach distinguishes StreFaS from many other agricultural interventions and serves as a benchmark for future initiatives in the country.
Mrs Akinboro highlighted how the programme priorities training and mentorship for women and youth farmers in addition to men, ensuring that no group is left behind in agricultural knowledge and business development. She said, “StreFaS has reached 13,279 farmers, including 2,722 adult women, 1,625 young women, 5,876 adult men, and 3,056 young men. The initiative prioritizes women and youth as key drivers of innovation and resilience in agriculture. Women have been trained as grain sorters, cooperative executives, and aggregators, while youth play active roles as community-based advisors (CBAs), mechanization service providers, and digital data collectors supporting technology adoption.”
One of the beneficiaries, Engineer Lawan Abdul, shared how the project transformed his productivity: “Since adopting the strategies we were taught in this project, my yields have increased by 100 percent. This was very surprising and encouraging for me. I am very happy with the outcome and thank the project partners for bringing this opportunity to us.”
Kaduna Government commends the StreFaS Initiative
The colourful unveiling of the StreFaS project in Zaria, Kaduna State, was Grace’s by top government officials, development partners, and private-sector stakeholders, who described it as a timely and innovative response to climate challenges threatening food security.
Applauding the partners for their efforts, Honorable Murtala Muhammad Dabo, Commissioner for Agriculture, Kaduna State, remarked, “This launch marks a significant milestone in our journey towards a more sustainable agricultural future. I commend TechnoServe and its partners for their dedication to promoting climate-smart agricultural practices in Kaduna State. Let us continue to work together to empower farmers, improve food security, and build a climate-resilient agricultural sector.”
Adoption of the StreFaS model by governments
Following the early success of the StreFaS project, Dr Rufus Idris urged government at all levels to adopt the model for wider agricultural transformation. “Governments must integrate the incentives and benefits of the StreFaS model into state-level agricultural policies and investment plans. This includes supporting land tenure reforms and providing targeted subsidies for regenerative inputs such as bio-fertilizers and cover crop seeds. The state extension system could adopt the StreFaS training curriculum and use certified regenerative farms as demonstration centers to rapidly disseminate best practices across local government areas.”
Mrs Akinboro also acknowledged challenges faced during implementation, including low farmer awareness, limited access to finance and quality inputs, and capacity gaps among extension agents and service providers. Some practices were initially perceived as labour-intensive or risky by smallholders. These barriers were addressed through the engagement of 160 community-based advisors (CBAs) who supported farmer training and field follow-up across project communities. Demonstration farms covering over 603 hectares showcased how improved seeds, regenerative techniques, and CSA practices enhance yields, soil health, and profitability. The project also promoted drought-tolerant seed varieties, sustainable land management, precision input use, and cover cropping to restore soil health.
By embedding regenerative agriculture into every step of the value chain, StreFaS restores soil health, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, increases biodiversity, and builds economic resilience, particularly for youth and women. The programme also links smallholder farmers to formal markets, including Nestlé’s supply chain, enabling them to access premium pricing for climate-smart produce and contributing to a more sustainable and inclusive agricultural future for Nigeria.
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