NALDA Launches Nationwide Greenhouse Initiative to Boost Vegetable Production and Empower Youth, Women
In a major push to strengthen Nigeria’s food security and agricultural innovation, the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) has rolled out a greenhouse farming initiative designed to boost vegetable production, empower young farmers, and support women across the country.
During an inspection visit to the University of Abuja Greenhouse Farm, NALDA’s Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Cornelius Adebayo, said the project—approved by President Bola Tinubu—aims to solve Nigeria’s long-standing challenges with vegetable availability, distribution, and post-harvest losses.
According to Adebayo, the project is structured in three phases, beginning with the establishment of high-tech, temperature-controlled greenhouses in strategic locations nationwide, along with net-house greenhouses in Abuja and Ogun State.
“One of the biggest problems with vegetable production is overreliance on seasonal farming,” he said. “Mr President approved our plan to set up mega greenhouses across the country so we can achieve year-round production.”
The first phase includes 20 greenhouse units in Giri, Abuja, and 30 units in Shagamu, Ogun State, each equipped with a nursery, packing houses for cleaning and packaging, cold storage facilities, and solar energy systems.
Adebayo explained that the greenhouses were strategically located to serve major markets such as Abuja and Lagos, cutting transportation costs and reducing spoilage. “We are also supporting other greenhouse operators in Shagamu and Epe to increase their output,” he added.
Under the programme, young Nigerians will manage the facilities as independent agripreneurs, with each youth assigned two net houses to operate under NALDA’s supervision.
“Most of these facilities will be handed over to young people who understand the technology,” Adebayo said. “This will engage youth productively while improving food availability.”
The initiative also targets women farmers, who will be supported to cultivate vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and leafy greens across Nigeria’s 360 federal constituencies.
“We’re planning a minimum of 10 hectares of open-field vegetable farming per constituency,” Adebayo revealed. “Each cluster will engage 100 women farmers, with NALDA providing land clearing, irrigation, packing houses, and cold storage.”
Already, 16 pilot locations in Cross River, Taraba, Plateau, and Gombe States are undergoing land clearing, with irrigation infrastructure set to follow. The Abuja greenhouse farm is expected to be fully operational by December 2025, while other sites will commence operations in early 2026.
Adebayo assured that greenhouse farming under the NALDA model is safe, organic, and sustainable.
“It’s simply controlled-environment agriculture—clean, efficient, and natural,” he noted. “It allows year-round vegetable production without relying on chemical inputs.”
He clarified that the programme is not a loan scheme, but a government-backed empowerment project to remove infrastructural barriers faced by farmers.
“When you solve infrastructure problems for farmers, you solve most of their challenges,” he said. “Government’s role is not to do business but to create the environment for businesses to thrive.”
At least 10 young farmers will operate the first 20 greenhouse units in Abuja, with plans to expand to 50 units in both Abuja and Shagamu. NALDA has also urged state governments and host communities to allocate additional land to scale up the project.
The greenhouse clusters will also serve as a mechanism for price stability, as NALDA intends to coordinate offtake arrangements and control production costs within the clusters.
“With large, structured clusters, we can influence prices indirectly,” Adebayo explained. “We understand the cost of production and market dynamics, allowing us to help stabilise prices without government interference.”
Beyond production, NALDA will offer training opportunities for youths through collaborations with universities and agricultural institutes, ensuring that participants acquire practical greenhouse management skills.
“You don’t need a master’s degree to manage a greenhouse,” Adebayo said. “All you need is passion and the right training, which NALDA will provide.”
He concluded that the initiative reflects NALDA’s broader mission to empower youth and women, decentralise food production, and build a resilient agricultural future for Nigeria.
“Around every major city globally, you see greenhouse clusters feeding urban centres,” Adebayo noted. “As the giant of Africa, Nigeria must do the same. Our goal is to make fresh, affordable vegetables available to Nigerians all year long.”