Nigeria's National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) is advancing a suite of homegrown technologies aimed at transforming agriculture and addressing food insecurity. A key initiative is the Tractor Recovery Project under the National Assets Restoration Programme, which has seen over 375 tractors commissioned in Borno State and about 600 more refurbished in Niger State. These efforts target the long-standing mechanisation gap, where many smallholder farmers rely on manual tools due to the high cost and poor availability of functional machinery. NASENI is also partnering with private firms to assemble affordable mini tractors, broadening access to mechanisation for small-scale farmers. Beyond equipment, the agency is driving climate-resilient farming through the "Irrigate Nigeria" project, designed to enable up to three harvests annually by expanding dry-season cultivation via modern irrigation systems. In Lafia, Nasarawa State, NASENI's Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Development Institute (AMEDI) has implemented a Hydroponics farming project, demonstrating soilless farming under controlled conditions. Solar-powered technologies are being integrated to reduce operational costs and improve efficiency across farming operations. These innovations aim to boost productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, and support value addition within local supply chains. NASENI's focus on local production of agricultural equipment also seeks to curb import dependence and stimulate industrial growth.
NASENI is refurbishing hundreds of idle tractors while promoting new locally assembled models, yet the same smallholder farmers who need them most still face systemic barriers to access and maintenance. The commissioning of 375 tractors in Borno and 600 in Niger State means little if deployment mechanisms exclude those tilling the same land without formal support structures. Without clear data on how these machines reach individual farmers, the rollout risks being another top-down solution masked as grassroots intervention. The hydroponics pilot in Lafia shows promise, but isolated projects won't fix a broken link between technology and the rural farmer.
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