CropWatch Improving Food Security in Nigeria
A report published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) highlights the impact of the CropWatch programme in strengthening Nigeria’s agricultural resilience and food security. The programme, which Nigeria joined in 2021, has significantly enhanced the country’s capacity for agricultural monitoring, disease identification, and yield prediction.
Enhancing Agricultural Resilience Amid Climate Challenges
The year 2024, recorded as the hottest on Earth, saw extreme weather events, including prolonged droughts, storms, and floods, disproportionately affecting small-scale and subsistence farmers worldwide. Nigeria, home to over 200 million people, is particularly vulnerable to these challenges, with 70% of its rural population relying on agriculture for their livelihoods.
Through the CropWatch Innovative Cooperation Programme, led by UNCTAD, Nigeria has leveraged space-based and geospatial technologies to mitigate climate-induced agricultural disruptions. A key component of this initiative is the CropWatch cloud system, which provides real-time agro-climatic and agronomic assessments. These assessments include crop conditions, acreage estimates, yield predictions, and early warnings for pests and droughts, enabling data-driven decision-making without requiring extensive IT infrastructure investments.
Data-Driven Insights for Agricultural Planning
The CropWatch programme equips Nigerian officials and experts with the ability to conduct independent fieldwork, collect and analyse agricultural data, and generate actionable insights. These insights are compiled into a quarterly bulletin that informs government policies and interventions.
Between January and April 2024, the bulletin revealed a significant deviation in Nigeria’s rainy season, particularly in the northern regions, where rainfall was 64% below the 15-year norm. Additionally, arable land decreased by 13% compared to its five-year average. Armed with this data, Nigerian authorities were able to provide timely guidance to farmers on adaptive strategies, minimising potential crop losses due to erratic weather patterns.
“These technologies enable early warning detection and timely interventions, reducing the risk of crop failure,” said Matthew Adepoju, Director General of Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), a key partner in the CropWatch programme. “By increasing productivity and resilience against climate change, we ensure a stable and secure food supply for millions of Nigerians.”
Strengthening Inter-Agency Collaboration
Nigeria’s implementation of CropWatch is bolstered by strong inter-agency collaboration involving the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency. These partnerships enhance the integration of climate intelligence into agricultural planning, ensuring a comprehensive approach to food security.
Read: Nigeria Becomes the First Centre CropWatch Programme in West Africa
Expanding Impact Across West Africa
Beyond Nigeria, the CropWatch programme is extending its benefits across West Africa. In July 2024, Abuja hosted a training workshop bringing together agricultural experts from eight African countries. The workshop focused on improving the monitoring of staple crops such as groundnuts, yams, maise, and rice.
During the event, Nigeria launched the West African Regional Centre of Excellence for CropWatch, hosted by NASRDA. This initiative enables Nigeria to share expertise and best practices with neighbouring countries, fostering South-South cooperation to address regional food security challenges.
“The CropWatch programme is more than a technological innovation—it’s a testament to the power of collaboration in overcoming regional challenges,” said Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Geoffrey Nnaji.
CropWatch’s Global Reach and Future Prospects
CropWatch is implemented under the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development, with support from UNCTAD. The programme partners with the Alliance of International Science Organizations and the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
So far, 17 African and Asian countries—including Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Syria, Thailand, Lebanon, Mauritius, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—have benefited from the programme. More nations are encouraged to join, tapping into space-based technologies to build more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems.
For more information on CropWatch and opportunities for collaboration, interested parties can refer to UNCTAD’s official resources.