NALDA to Reclaim Degraded Forests for Mega Farm Estates, 4,000 Women Beneficiaries

News in Brief

— NALDA unveils a plan to reclaim degraded forest reserves for commercial farming under the Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estate Programme. 

— The agency also launched the Green Hope Project to decentralise vegetable production using greenhouses and open-field sites, with the first phase aiming to empower about 4,000 women.

The National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has unveiled plans to convert degraded forest reserves across Nigeria into large-scale commercial farm estates as part of its Renewed Hope Mega Farm Estate Programme.

This move, officials say, will expand food production, curb criminal activity in abandoned landscapes and create new economic opportunities for rural communities.

What the Plan Entails NALDA’s Executive Secretary, Cornelius Adebayo, made this revelation at a media briefing in Abuja where he explained that the agency will partner with state governments to rehabilitate abandoned forest lands and convert them into organised farm clusters.

The initiative is derived from NALDA’s statutory mandate to develop abandoned and under-utilised agricultural land into productive assets which support national food security and rural development. Each cluster will cover at least 5,000 hectares and be equipped with irrigation, mechanisation services, perimeter security, road networks and access to finance. 

He argued that concentration of farmers in serviced estates will lower production costs and make government interventions more efficient.

State Partnerships and Crop Focus Speaking about the progress of the initiative, Adebayo disclosed that Kwara State has already partnered with NALDA to rehabilitate degraded forest reserves that will be allocated to members of the Cashew Processors Association of Nigeria (CAPAN) for commercial cashew cultivation. Other states like Niger, Katsina, Plateau, Bauchi and Ekiti have also committed land to the programme.

He added that discussions with Enugu and Bayelsa are ongoing as the agency seeks broader national coverage. It framed the reclamation programme as a response to both food security and security concerns, arguing that many abandoned forest reserves have become sanctuaries for criminal groups and that transforming them into productive estates will deny criminals safe havens while creating livelihoods for host communities. 

“We are not acquiring land for private business interests. Our responsibility is to develop the land in collaboration with host communities for their collective prosperity over an agreed period,” Adebayo said.

Green Hope Horticulture Push Alongside the mega estates, NALDA also launched the Green Hope Project to decentralise vegetable production through open-field and greenhouse farming.

The agency revealed that horticulture facilities have been set up in Giri (Abuja) and Shagamu (Ogun State), with 30 greenhouses completed in Lagos State and 20 in Abuja, plus additional greenhouses under construction. 

According to Adebayo, the first phase is expected to directly empower about 4,000 women by providing each beneficiary with roughly 1,000 square metres of irrigated farmland, solar-powered irrigation, seedlings, training and guaranteed market linkages.

The agency clarified that it is implementing horticultural and capacity-building interventions in partnership with the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI) and the National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), which will provide technical support, improved inputs, and training for participating farmers.

The authority is also expanding aquaculture by establishing fish villages in the Niger Delta, with a pilot project already underway in Akwa Ibom State to boost domestic fish production and export capacity.

Why it Matters

Officials argue that the integrated package (land development, mechanisation, irrigation and market linkages) will unlock agricultural potential, increase food availability, reduce pressure on existing farmlands and stimulate rural economies in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

NALDA has previously outlined a longer-term strategy to optimise millions of hectares of underutilised land, and the current initiative represents a scaling of that vision.

It stresses that land will be developed in collaboration with host communities rather than taken for private profit. Observers and local stakeholders will be watching how legal land tenure, benefit-sharing, environmental safeguards and resettlement (where applicable) are handled as projects move from planning into large-scale implementation.