On October 16, HortiNigeria marked World Food Day with one unifying message – Nigeria’s horticulture sector is undergoing a remarkable transformation, fueled by the program’s strategic partnerships. Through creative campaigns and community-driven events, HortiNigeria celebrated the farmers, agripreneurs, researchers, and innovators who are redefining how Nigeria grows, processes, and markets its food.
“By working hand in hand with [partners] HortiNigeria has shown that true transformation happens when every actor…contributes to a shared vision.”
Feyikemi Adurogbangba, HortiNigeria Communications Coordinator
Championing Women in Agriculture
Beyond research, HortiNigeria’s collaboration with the Farm Junction Foundation and the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems brought a human dimension to the celebration. Together, they launched the Most Beautiful Farmer competition October 7-10 to celebrate women’s achievements in agriculture.
The first of its kind in Africa, the competition showcased female farmers who are pioneering eco-efficient practices, post-harvest innovation, and climate-smart practices boosting food security.
“This competition goes beyond physical beauty; it celebrates the creativity, innovation, , and enterprise of our farmers who are redefining agriculture in Lagos State,” said Ruth Abisola Olusanya, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Systems, Lagos State.
According to one of the competition winners, OluwaSeun Obadan, Founder of Arso Farms Limited, “The MBF program was integrative and hands-on. It offered a truly well-rounded experience — and the cherry on top was connecting with other inspiring women making waves in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.”
The competition exposed the finalists to various agricultural value chains, including horticulture. Through hands-on exposure to aquaponics for vegetable cultivation and the screening of HortiNigeria’s documentary HortiHeroes, the finalists discovered new opportunities within the sector, strengthening their capacity to diversify and expand their agribusinesses.
By amplifying women’s stories the initiative emphasized that inclusive and sustainable development begins with empowering women as innovators, leaders, and changemakers.
The campaign amplified the voices of women who are redefining farming as a business, not just a tradition, and inspiring the next generation of agripreneurs. By showcasing their achievements, HortiNigeria reinforced that inclusive growth begins with empowering women at the heart of food production.
Showcasing Research and Value Addition with NIHORT
At the center of Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem lies research, and HortiNigeria’s partnership with the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) has highlighted the role of science in catalyzing market transformation.
Through radio talk shows, digital campaigns, and feature stories, the collaboration has publicized NIHORT’s work in product diversification and value addition. For instance, HortiNigeria highlighted the institute’s novel tomato wine, a creative example of turning surplus produce into a premium market opportunity.
“Innovations like tomato wine show that value addition is a strategy. It’s how we reduce post-harvest losses and create market opportunities,” said Dr. Ayoola Monsur Abdul-Rafiu, Chief Research Officer in Seed Science And Technology At NIHORT
This campaign demonstrated how Nigeria’s research community can power commercial competitiveness and industry-wide sustainability through innovation.
Promoting Food Safety and Sustainable Production
To expand impact, HortiNigeria teamed up with Farmatago AgroVentures Limited to deliver a three-day program on Food Safety and Production Sustainability (FSPS), attended by more than 200 participants.
Each day of the program was dedicated to a different component:
- Day 1: Farmers received hands-on training to reduce post-harvest losses and adopt food-safe production methods.
- Day 2: Market actors engaged in awareness efforts, demonstrating proper produce handling and safety practices.
- Day 3: A high-level summit brought together agribusiness leaders, innovators, and ecosystem enablers to explore technology, circular-economy models, and strategies for sustainable food systems.
“The FSPS campaign is a movement driving impact from the grassroots to agribusiness players, empowering women, youth, farmers, and market actors to build safer, smarter, and more sustainable agri-food systems,” explained Annat Shittu, Founder and CEO of Farmatago AgroVentures Limited.
By equipping farmers with post-harvest and food-safety skills, raising consumer awareness, and convening innovators for systemic change, the campaign reinforced a vision where safe food and sustainable production are the norm.
Spanning the Field to Policy
These collaborative efforts embody the 2025 World Food Day theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future,” while aligning with Nigeria’s National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP), which promotes innovation and technology for food and nutrition security.
According to Feyikemi Adurogbangba, HortiNigeria Communications Coordinator, “By working hand in hand with research institutions like NIHORT, youth-led platforms like Farmatago, and value-chain enablers like Farm Junction Foundation, HortiNigeria has shown that true transformation happens when every actor – from farmer to policymaker – contributes to a shared vision.”
From the fields where crops are grown to the markets where food is traded and the boardrooms where decisions are made, these partnerships reflect a collective commitment to fostering a horticulture sector that is inclusive, sustainable and innovative.
As Nigeria continues to build a sustainable food system, HortiNigeria’s collaborative efforts remind us that sustainable progress begins when sector development is nurtured – hand in hand.
HortiNigeria (2021-2025) is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria and implemented by IFDC, together with KIT Institute and East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Foundation (EWS-KT).
