Nigeria’s NALDA Reclaims Forests to Boost Food Security & Empower Women

The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) in Nigeria announced plans to rehabilitate degraded forest reserves nationwide to create large-scale agricultural estates. NALDA will partner with state governments to convert abandoned land into productive farmland, aiming to increase food production and reduce areas used by criminal groups. The initiative, called the Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estate Programme, will focus on clusters of at least 5,000 hectares, offering farmers irrigation, mechanisation, and financial services.

The agency also launched the Green Hope Project, a horticulture initiative establishing greenhouses and open-field farms. This project intends to empower 4,000 women by providing them with access to farmland, training, and market connections. While Kwara, Niger, and other states have committed land, NALDA is still awaiting responses from several others.

NALDA is also expanding aquaculture in the Niger Delta region. The long-term success of these projects depends on continued state government cooperation and securing adequate funding for infrastructure development.