Development impact plan in Nigeria

Agriculture strongly relies on irrigation in Nigeria. A total of 3.4 million hectares of land in Nigeria require irrigation. However, only 88,95 hectares currently benefit from the practice, leaving the rest to depend on the forces of nature. In the last few decades, the growing population and demand for agricultural commodities have translated into increasing pressure on global freshwater resources, often leading to their unsustainable use. Currently, only 1 per cent of Nigerian cropland is irrigated, meaning most farmers can only cultivate their fields during the rainy season. This also leaves farmers and food-insecure populations vulnerable to the changing and unpredictable climate. Expanding automated soil monitoring and sustainable irrigation systems in Nigeria would reduce some of the risks of the current system lessening the impact of droughts that have contributed to widespread famine and extending the productive growing season. For an improved yield of crops, active monitoring of the irrigation system is needed, especially in areas where water is scarce. Energy efficiency is vital in agriculture to resolve the energy requirement needs of farming operations. We will keep enhancing smart monitoring and irrigation systems to not only increase the hectares of land irrigated but also more efficiently and sustainably to produce more at reduced input, which will promote the adaptation of precision soil monitoring and irrigation in Nigeria and the world at large.