For Abdulkadir Tahir, a young farmer in Zaria, Kaduna State, the turning point in his farming journey came not just from better seeds or new techniques, but from joining the Noman Lambu Facebook group, hosted by HortiNigeria.
“Getting increased yields is one thing, but marketing the produce is another.”
Abdulkadir Tahir
With over 450,000 members from across Nigeria, the group is a bustling digital marketplace where farmers share market prices, post photos of their produce, and connect with buyers, transforming social media into both a marketing platform and an intelligence tool.
Abdulkadir began working with HortiNigeria in 2023. Through the program’s training sessions, he mastered techniques such as mulching, using hybrid seeds, and trellising, which tripled his yields.
But as he says, “Getting increased yields is one thing, but marketing the produce is another.”
By posting his fresh produce on Facebook, Abdulkadir attracted customers from within and beyond Kaduna State, with orders reaching as far as Katsina and Kano.
He carefully packages and dispatches the produce to buyers who value its quality and freshness. The group also gives him access to real-time price updates, enabling him to decide where to sell for the best returns.
Abdulkadir is now running a more profitable farm while serving as a community field trainer. In this role, he teaches others how to combine improved agronomic practices with smart digital marketing.
Abdulkadir’s story shows how, with the right training and the right networks, rural farmers can expand their markets, secure better prices, and build sustainable livelihoods.
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). The program promotes sustainable, inclusive, and profitable horticulture value chains that empower farmers — especially women and youth — to thrive in a modern, resilient agricultural economy.
