Across farming communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Benue, Kogi, Enugu and Imo states, a quiet but growing shift is taking place. Smallholder farmers many of them women are increasingly adopting organic pest control and soil health practices after participating in step-down agroecology trainings supported by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HBS).
The trainings, conducted between May and October 2025, were delivered by over 15 facilitators who had earlier undergone a Training-of-Trainers programme on an Organic Pest Control and Soil Health Manual. The facilitators then returned to their communities to translate the manual into practical, hands-on learning tailored to local realities.
From Training Rooms to Farmlands
According to facilitator reports submitted across multiple states, the step-down trainings focused on composting, organic pest control using locally available materials such as neem and garlic, crop rotation, mulching, and liquid bio-fertilisers.
In Ajaokuta, Kogi State, Cynthia Shaibu, a vegetable farmer, reported early changes on her farm after adopting organic methods.
“The organic pest control did wonders for me,” Shaibu said. “My okro plant that usually experiences pest diseases was well taken care of after the application of our organic pesticides.”
Also in Ajaokuta, another beneficiary, Ibrahim Adejoh Arome, reported improvements in both yield and crop quality.
“The organic fertiliser did well for my corn this year,” he said. “The harvest improved and the quality of crops largely improved.”
In Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, a woman farmer who participated in the training described an outcome she said she had never experienced before.
“My corn was doing so good and had four cobs on a stem, which I have never experienced,” she said.
Interest Spreads Beyond Initial Trainees
Beyond direct participants, facilitators documented increasing interest from neighbouring farmers and community members who were not originally part of the target groups.
In Gasaki community along the FCT–Nasarawa axis, a retraining session originally meant for a small group expanded significantly after visible results were observed on beneficiaries’ farms. The retraining was led by a beneficiary and attracted more than 50 people, including observers from surrounding farms.
Participants from the Gasaki community reported that the accessibility of materials helped drive acceptance.
“The ingredients were familiar and easy to get, which made acceptance and adoption much easier,” beneficiaries said.
In Makurdi, Benue State, farmers began applying the manual even before in-person training sessions were held, after receiving soft copies through WhatsApp groups.
“We shared the manual with others on WhatsApp, and some people started using it even before the physical meeting,” participants in Makurdi reported.
In Shishipe Village, Bwari Area Council of the FCT, youth participants organised as Community Green Ambassadors reported that their improved farm performance drew interest from other villagers.
“After seeing the results, other farmers around us wanted to learn how to prepare the organic pesticides,” youth participants in Shishipe Village said.
Health, Cost and Safety Driving Adoption
For many women farmers, health and safety considerations were a major reason for adopting agroecological practices.
In Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT, Yusuf Princess, a smallholder farmer, said organic solutions offered a safer alternative to chemicals.
“The neem-based solution was cost-effective and safer to handle compared to the synthetic pesticides I used before,” she said.
In Owerri, Imo State, a woman trainee reflected on the satisfaction of harvesting chemical-free produce.
“The joy in harvesting fresh produce without any chemical application was more than massive,” she said.
Farmers along the Chukuku–Kuje axis of the FCT also reported changes in crop performance and soil condition.
“We noticed obvious changes in the colour of the leaves, especially vegetables, and an increase in the size of cassava and maize stems,” women trainees in the area said.
Several beneficiaries also pointed to reduced production costs due to lower dependence on chemical inputs.
A Model Showing Signs of Scale
Facilitator reports indicate that several beneficiaries went on to train between two and ten additional farmers each, often family members, neighbours or members of cooperative groups. This peer-to-peer spread has emerged as one of the most notable outcomes of the programme.
In Enugu State, beneficiaries described a broader mindset shift associated with the transition.
“Eating healthy is all about having an organic farm,” a woman farmer in Aninri LGA said.
Similarly, women farmers across communities in the FCT reflected on initial scepticism about organic methods.
“At first we doubted organic methods because chemicals work faster,” they said. “But after seeing the results, we believed.”
Implications for Nigeria’s Food System
With smallholder farmers estimated to produce more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s food, analysts say the methods used at household and community levels have far-reaching implications for national food security. Beyond commercial production, the ability of families to grow all or part of their food plays a critical role in improving nutrition, ensuring safer food, and cushioning households against rising food prices.
Facilitator reports from the agroecology trainings suggest that organic pest control and soil health practices are increasingly being adopted not only for income generation, but also for household consumption. Several beneficiaries reported prioritising chemical-free produce for their families, citing health concerns and the rising cost of synthetic inputs.
In Owerri, Imo State, a woman trainee described the satisfaction of harvesting food grown without chemicals.“The joy in harvesting fresh produce without any chemical application was more than massive,” she said.
Observers note that when such practices are adopted across households and communities, they help reduce exposure to harmful agro-chemicals, improve dietary diversity, and augment household food supply and income. In the aggregate, this can contribute to improved food availability, better nutrition outcomes, and greater resilience particularly in rural and peri-urban areas.
While the step-down trainings directly reached several hundred farmers, facilitators reported that interest now exceeds the scope of the initial programme, with increasing demand for follow-up sessions, demonstration farms and expansion to additional communities.
As Nigeria searches for more resilient and sustainable food systems, the changes unfolding quietly on farms across these states point to a growing grassroots movement led not by policy mandates, but by farmers themselves.
By Donald Ikenna Ofoegbu, Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HBS), Abuja
