Agricultural programme coordinators have proposed new measures to improve Nigerian farmers’ access to mechanisation, with emphasis on affordable financing, cooperative equipment ownership, youth and women participation, and stronger private-sector involvement.
The recommendations were made during a high-level panel discussion in Abuja involving officials of the Federal Government/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Project for the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) and the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme.
National Programme Coordinator of VCDP, Dr Fatima Aliyu, said mechanisation services should be integrated into rural farming clusters to ensure smallholder farmers can access agricultural equipment without bearing the high cost of individual ownership.
She stressed the need to combine equipment financing with technical training to equip young Nigerians with the skills to fabricate, operate and maintain farm machinery locally.
Aliyu also recommended cooperative-based mechanisation models that would allow farmers to access equipment through pay-as-you-use arrangements rather than purchasing costly machinery individually.
She noted that public-private partnerships would be essential to establishing commercially sustainable mechanisation services while ensuring that equipment is properly maintained and readily available to farmers.
Similarly, National Programme Coordinator of LIFE-ND, Dr Abiodun Sanni, called for greater investment in machinery designed specifically for women and young farmers.
He identified motorised weeders, cassava harvesters and solar-powered processing mills as examples of equipment that could increase productivity and reduce the physical burden associated with farming.
Sanni further proposed training rural youths as Mechanisation Service Providers (MSPs) who could offer machinery operation, maintenance and leasing services within farming communities.
He advocated subsidised leasing arrangements, flexible repayment systems and cooperative ownership structures to expand mechanisation beyond land preparation into harvesting and post-harvest activities.
For his part, National Programme Coordinator of SAPZ, Dr Kabir Yusuf, said the programme would work towards linking smallholder women and youth outgrower networks with large-scale processing facilities through shared mechanisation services.
Yusuf emphasised the need for privately operated mechanisation service hubs backed by concessionary financing to improve equipment availability, maintenance and sustainability.
He also highlighted the role of digital technology, including mobile platforms for tractor bookings, farmland geo-mapping and standardised safety guidelines for machinery operators.
The programme coordinators agreed that achieving sustainable agricultural mechanisation would require stronger cooperation among government institutions, development partners, financial institutions, private investors, cooperatives and farmers.
They said the proposed measures would not only improve farmers’ access to modern equipment but also create new employment and business opportunities for women and young people across Nigeria’s agricultural value chains.
