The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS) has announced the commencement of a pilot phase for a farmer identity management system in Nasarawa State, using the National Identification Number (NIN) to authenticate and document genuine farmers across Nigeria.
Speaking at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s Digital Village Initiative (DVI) workshop in Lagos on Thursday, Minister of Agriculture Abubakar Kyari said the initiative will be crucial for accurate farmer identification and land mapping, which are foundational for effective agricultural policy planning and targeted interventions.
“We are pioneering the use of the National Identification Number to authenticate Nigeria’s farmers’ registers by working in collaboration with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC),” Kyari said.
He added that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had been signed with NIMC to formalize the collaboration, and a pilot rollout would begin in Nasarawa in the coming weeks.
Building a Smarter Agriculture System
The farmer identity system builds on the Farmer-Farm Mapping Registry launched in January 2025, which aims to link farmers directly to their farmland and input support schemes.
Kyari emphasized that this digital approach is not just a data exercise, but a “critical component of the primary data required for planning and implementation of various interventions at national and sub-national levels.”
Digital Tools to Geo-Tag Farmers and Farms
In alignment with the FAO’s DVI framework, the ministry will also deploy geo-spatial technologies to geo-reference farms and virtually fence them, assigning digital identities to both farmers and their land assets.
“The complimentary solution is to use geo-spatial technologies for the geo-referencing of the farms, construct their virtual fences, and geo-tag the farmers to their farmlands,” Kyari said.
He reiterated the federal government’s commitment to digital agriculture as a cornerstone of food security and rural development.
“Technology is not a luxury; it is a necessity if we are to feed our growing population and meet the goals of the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
FAO Partnership Key to Success
Kyari praised the technical support and strategic guidance of the FAO, stating that their collaboration is essential to the success of Nigeria’s broader Digital Agriculture Transformation Agenda.
“With the right collaboration, agriculture in Nigeria can shift from subsistence to sustainability, from isolation to integration, and from vulnerability to value,” he declared.
The Digital Village Initiative aims to empower rural communities through digital infrastructure, improved access to markets, and smart agricultural practices. Nigeria is among several African countries being supported under the FAO’s global strategy to digitally transform rural economies.
