Long before he became an engineer, Jerry Mallo witnessed the struggles of farmers in Plateau State. Tomatoes would rot in baskets, yams would spoil under the sun, and cassava remained unprocessed due to the lack of appropriate equipment. The machines needed to preserve crops were either too costly or unsuitable for Nigerian farms.
However, fast forward to today, Mallo is making a significant impact by designing affordable tractors and processors tailored for Nigeria’s landscape and smallholder farmers. In his own words,
“Mechanisation isn’t just about importing heavy equipment; it’s about designing solutions that cater to our farmers’ needs and crop requirements.”
In light of Nigeria facing one of its severest food crises in decades with over 33 million people projected to experience hunger by 2025, innovators like Mallo are playing a crucial role. Rildwan Bello, co-founder of Vestance agribusiness firm, highlighted the importance of technology in mitigating the crisis:
“Technology may not be a quick fix, but it can aid in better planning, reducing wastage, and ensuring targeted support reaches those who need it.”
The United Nations pinpointed climate shocks as a major contributor to Nigeria’s food crisis. In 2024 alone, floods affected over 5.2 million Nigerians and destroyed close to 1.44 million hectares of farmland. With improved data collection and planning tools, much of this devastation could have been foreseen and potentially prevented.
Bello emphasized the significance of enhanced weather monitoring and production planning:
“By simulating potential outcomes such as flooding on farmlands, we can forecast food supply trends which can inform government policies.”
As Africa’s largest producer with an annual maize output below demand at 12 million metric tons compared to a required 16 million metric tons insecurity & poor weather exacerbate this gap.
Regarding farm mechanization globally affecting crop production positively through advanced machinery & AI deployment—Nigeria lags behind significantly marked among countries with least mechanized farming listed by FAO representatives state inadequate technological deployment hindering agricultural productivity amplifying demands for approximated 1.5 million tractors needing governmental incentives for local fabrication alongside structured farmer scaling strategies into commercial ventures.
Femi Adekoya from Integrated Aerial Precision stressed technology’s pivotal role asserting “Technology enhances efficiency saving time while boosting yields contributing considerably more than traditional methods”. Moreover drone tech has emerged providing precise farming systems safeguarding against harmful substances benefiting both plants & humans alike encouraging widespread adoption across agriculture sectors bolstering food security enhancing productivity rates ultimately fostering economic growth nationwide transforming traditional farming communities into digitized entities ready for evolving global markets demanding traceability accountability pushing novel startups like Sabi focusing on supply chains e-commerce interconnectivity maneuvering intricate processes from sourcing till distribution exemplified within oyo state aggregation program integrating drone technologies spanned over vast hectare regions optimizing resource management effectively.
