Agriculture

NASC, IITA signs MOU on Community based Seed entrepreneurship

Published

3 years ago

May 27, 2023

National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to train thousands of community based Seed entrepreneurs as part of efforts to improve seed production and marketing in four north east States of Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe.

The project, funded by USAID, will involve training and supporting 2250 seed producers to become Community Based Seed Entrepreneurs (CBSE) in the four intervention states and facilitating the formation of these CBSE into 150 community based Seed enterprises cooperatives.

Speaking during the signing ceremony at the NASC headquarters in Abuja which happened to be his last official duty before exiting the Council as the Director General, Dr. Olusegun Philip Ojo, said the Council is responsible for ensuring that farmers have good quality seeds and that the Council works with several partners.

“And most of the innovations and technology introduced in the seed industry were done in collaboration with organisations like yours. So when the idea of partnering with IITA came, we were happy to embrace it. We want to continue to expand our collaborators and partners because we are positioning the Council as centre of excellence for seed industry in West Africa.

“For your information, Nigeria produces over 50% of good quality seeds in West Africa and we have become force of a sort when it comes to seed production. So now we get several references from organisations to come to us for the seed they need.

“IITA has been a good partner as we have been able to partner on several projects such as seed codex, among other. The community seed project is very dear to our hearts because, the seed companies alone cannot take care of all the seed needs of farmers and the need to ensure that farmers at the downstream and local level have access to the best of genetics, that is what the programme is addressing, especially in the north,and seed is a game changer in agriculture, it would be good if the project can be replicated across the country to make seed available for the farmers at the grassroots,” he said.

Also speaking, before signing the MoU, IITA Chief of Party, Prakash Kant Silwal, said through its Northeast Regional Office, it has collaborated with the activity in training 1,937 Community Based Seed Producers on improved seed production and marketing techniques in Adamawa and Borno States between 2020 and 2022.

He said the organisation has also monitored the seed fields of these CBSPs and provided the needed support and guidance, tested the samples of the seeds produced by the CBSPs at its Seed laboratory in Gombe.

“Attended the annual Agricultural inputs Fair organized by the Activity to create necessary awareness for the smallholder farmers on the need to plant certified seeds instead of grains.

“All the above have significantly increased the use of certified seeds by smallholder farmers in intervention communities and resulted in an increase in yield and income.

“Scaling up of interventions in seed system development: Recently, our donor (USAID) expanded the scope of the Activity to scale-up interventions in seed system development in the existing states (Borno and Adamawa and expand into Gombe and Yobe states). This will involve supporting 2,250 seed producers to become Community Based Seed Entrepreneurs (CBSE) in the four intervention states and facilitating the formation of these CBSEs into 150 community-based seed enterprises cooperatives.

“In achieving this, the Activity still needs the continuous support of NASC as contained in the MOU that we are signing today.

“I am happy to announce that this is already happening as the activity and NASC Officials are currently organizing training for the selected 2,250 CBSP in improved seed production and marketing techniques across the four intervention states of Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe. Other activities will follow suit,” he explains.

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Agriculture

PULA, Leadway Assurance Disburse ₦396 Million to Climate-Affected Farmers, Strengthen Food Security Efforts

Published

3 weeks ago

April 24, 2026

The Gleamer

In a major intervention to shield smallholder farmers from climate shocks, agri-insurtech firm PULA has spearheaded the disbursement of ₦396,697,672 in insurance claims to over 40,000 farmers impacted during the 2025 wet season.

The payout, executed in partnership with Leadway Assurance and supported by the Presidential Food Systems Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), covered farmers across Taraba, Borno, Kaduna, and Plateau States who suffered climate-related losses.

The initiative was made possible in part by Bayer Foundation, whose $450,000 premium subsidy support in 2025 wet season helped lower the cost of insurance for thousands of vulnerable smallholders in 8 states, with 4 states receiving payouts. The Foundation is set to scale up its contribution to match the growing aspirations of state governments.

Speaking at the cheque presentation ceremony in Abuja during the 2025 Wet Season Insurance Claims Payout under the National Agribusiness Planning Mechanism (NAPM), PULA’s Nigeria Country Director, Dr. Michael Enahoro, said the initiative goes beyond compensation, insisting that it’s about securing Nigeria’s food systems.

“Our focus is not just on payouts but on increasing food production. We must continue to support farmers who work tirelessly under harsh conditions to feed the nation,” Dr. Enahoro said. He called for stronger policies that directly impact farmers and reaffirmed PULA’s commitment to expanding agricultural insurance as a tool for resilience.

PULA’s data-driven approach to climate risk was key to identifying affected farmers and triggering payments. The company worked with Leadway Assurance to underwrite the risk, while PFSCU aligned the program with the national food security agenda. State governments also supported grassroots enrollment.

Gboyega Lesi, MD/CEO of Leadway Assurance, described the payout as “a reinforcement of a safety net that protects the hard work of thousands of farmers,” adding that “through climate insurance, we ensure that a bad season does not translate into total loss of livelihood.” He commended PULA’s technology and field structure for making rapid, transparent payouts possible.

Ayoola Fatona, Global Head of Agric Solutions at Leadway Assurance, noted that the 2025 wet season brought significant climate variability and yield fluctuations. “The true value of insurance lies in claims payment, especially in challenging periods. Our data-driven partnership with PULA helped mitigate losses,” he said.

Looking ahead, PULA and Leadway Assurance plan to scale coverage to 73,000 farmers in the 2026 farming season, deepening penetration of climate insurance across Nigeria’s food-producing belts.

Commissioners from the beneficiary states commended PULA and Leadway Assurance for de-risking agriculture, restoring farmers’ confidence, and building a more resilient agricultural sector

State-by-state breakdown of claims facilitated by PULA: