Country agriculture profile · Sub-Saharan Africa
Nigeria
Nigeria is Africa's most populous country, and its agriculture is predominantly smallholder and rainfed, spanning a strong north–south ecological gradient. The humid south is dominated by roots and tubers — Nigeria is the world's largest producer of both cassava and yam — alongside tree crops such as oil palm and cocoa, while the savanna north grows sorghum, millet, maize, cowpea and groundnut and supports extensive, often transhumant cattle herding. Despite very large output of staple foods, the country remains a major food importer, notably of rice and wheat, and productivity is constrained by low input use and rainfed dependence. Competition between herders and farmers over land and water is a significant and recurring pressure in the middle belt.
Farming systems (stable overview)
Climate zones
- Humid tropical (southern rainforest)
- Guinea savanna (middle belt)
- Sudan savanna
- Semi-arid Sahel (far north)
Agroecological zones
- Southern forest root-crop and tree-crop zone
- Middle-belt cereal and root-crop transition
- Northern cereal and grain-legume savanna
- Sahelian and Lake Chad margin
Dominant crop systems
- Smallholder rainfed roots and tubers in the humid south — cassava and yam
- Rainfed savanna cereals in the north — sorghum, millet and maize
- Cowpea, groundnut and other grain legumes in the north
- Oil palm and cocoa tree crops in the south
- Rice in inland valleys and seasonally flooded fadama land
Major livestock systems
- Extensive pastoral and agro-pastoral cattle across the northern savanna and Sahel, often transhumant
- Smallholder sheep, goats and poultry kept throughout the country
- Growing intensive commercial poultry near major cities
Irrigation: Irrigation is limited relative to the vast cultivated area; smallholder farming is overwhelmingly rainfed, with localised dry-season and fadama (floodplain) irrigation and some large public schemes in the north.
Latest verified data
Each value is the most recent available observation, shown with its own year and unit. Figures are periodically revised — treat them as dated, sourced statistics, not evergreen facts.
| Indicator | Value | Unit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural land | 76.2 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Arable land | 40.48 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Cereal yield | 1,558 | kg per hectare | 2024 |
| Crop production index | 120.89 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Agriculture value added | 25.87 | % of GDP | 2024 |
| Employment in agriculture(est.) | 34.1 | % of total employment | 2024 |
| Rural population | 37.02 | % of total population | 2024 |
| Fertilizer consumption | 4.24 | kg per hectare of arable land | 2023 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Cereal yield over time
Show data table
| Year | kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| 2013 | 1,297.3 |
| 2014 | 1,555.4 |
| 2015 | 1,527.1 |
| 2016 | 1,596.9 |
| 2017 | 1,506.1 |
| 2018 | 1,549.3 |
| 2019 | 1,629.7 |
| 2020 | 1,619.9 |
| 2021 | 1,621.9 |
| 2022 | 1,659.5 |
| 2023 | 1,548.6 |
| 2024 | 1,558 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Derived indicator
Arable land as a share of agricultural land: 53.1 % of agricultural land (2023)
Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (40.5) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (76.2). A derived ratio, not an observed statistic. Sensitive to rounding and to differing revision cycles of the two source series; omit rather than extrapolate when a common year is unavailable.
Documented crops & livestock
Agricultural institutions
- Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) — Coordinates and supervises the national agricultural research system.
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) — CGIAR centre headquartered in Ibadan, working on roots and tubers, legumes and maize.
- National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) — National institute at Umudike mandated for cassava, yam and other root and tuber crops.
Data coverage & limitations
Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators.
- Statistics are dated, versioned and periodically revised as new surveys and censuses are released.
- National definitions differ, and the very large informal smallholder sector makes official production figures uncertain.
- Production estimates carry wide uncertainty given the scale of informal, dispersed smallholder farming.
- Output is rainfed and therefore sensitive to both drought and flooding.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- Authoritative
Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [2]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Cited for: Production, land use and food-balance context
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12