In 2023, Nigeria had an arable land area of roughly 36.9 million hectares. In addition, some 7.4 million hectares were under permanent crops, while about 25.2 million hectares were under permanent meadows and pastures. Agriculture is a key activity for Nigeria's economy after oil. Nevertheless, agricultural activities provide a livelihood for many Nigerians, whereas the wealth generated by oil reaches a restricted share of people. In fact, agricultural production ranks among the ten main export categories in Nigeria.

Nigeria's agricultural sector experienced a growth of 1.76 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to the previous quarter. However, in relation to the fourth quarter of the previous years under study, this represented a decline. Nonetheless, the overall growth rate reflects the ongoing importance of agriculture to Nigeria's economy, despite challenges facing the sector. Agriculture remains one of the crucial sources of employment and livelihood for many Nigerians. Employment trends in agriculture While agriculture continues to play a considerable role in Nigeria's economy, its share of total employment has been generally fluctuating recently. In 2023, the agricultural sector accounted for approximately 34 percent of the total employment. While this maintained the above 30 percent share observed since 2000, it represented a further decline. By extension, this trend suggests a slow but steady shift in the labor market, especially over the last three decades, with more workers moving into the services sector which now accounts for around 47.8 percent of total employment. The workforce transition from agriculture to services can be attributed mainly to rural-urban migration, technological advancement, and a rising informal sector. Land use and crop production Nigeria's agricultural landscape is characterized by extensive land use, with approximately 36.9 million hectares of arable land and 7.7 million hectares under permanent crops as of 2022. Crop production, a key component of the agricultural sector, saw growth of 1.2 percent in the third quarter of 2024. Roots and tubers are the main agricultural products grown in the country, besides cereals and oil crops. Overall, the sector is important to Nigeria’s economic diversification.

GDP from Agriculture in Nigeria increased to 5785472.38 NGN Million in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 5763385.21 NGN Million in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Nigeria Gdp From Agriculture - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Nigeria: Value added in the agricultural sector as percent of GDP: The latest value from 2024 is 20.35 percent, a decline from 22.72 percent in 2023. In comparison, the world average is 9.68 percent, based on data from 151 countries. Historically, the average for Nigeria from 1981 to 2024 is 22.84 percent. The minimum value, 12.24 percent, was reached in 1981 while the maximum of 36.97 percent was recorded in 2002.

In 2023, the employment in the agricultural sector as share of total employment in Nigeria stood at 34.31 percent. Between 1991 and 2023, the figure dropped by 18.09 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Nigeria Exports: Agricultural Goods data was reported at 23,623.135 NGN mn in Mar 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 24,803.204 NGN mn for Feb 2019. Nigeria Exports: Agricultural Goods data is updated monthly, averaging 13,808.070 NGN mn from Jan 2016 (Median) to Mar 2019, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 38,717.960 NGN mn in Nov 2018 and a record low of 3,969.126 NGN mn in Sep 2016. Nigeria Exports: Agricultural Goods data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.JA010: Exports by Sectors.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (% of GDP) in Nigeria was reported at 20.35 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Nigeria agriculture equipment market is projected to grow over the forecast period due to the mechanization in agriculture sector with the rapid infrastructural development.

In the second quarter of 2023, the agricultural sector generated about ** percent of Nigeria's gross domestic product. The largest contribution was from crop production, which covered nearly ** percent of the GDP. Agriculture accounted for a significant portion of Nigeria's GDP as a key activity for the country's economy after oil. Nevertheless, agricultural activities provide a livelihood for many Nigerians, whereas the wealth generated by oil reaches a restricted share of people.

Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Nigeria was reported at 34.31 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Nigeria's agricultural sector contributes to a significant part of the country's GDP. Between July and September 2021, the agriculture contributed to almost 30 percent of the total GDP, an increase by about six percentage point compared to the previous quarter.

Agriculture is a key activity for Nigeria's economy after oil. Nevertheless, agricultural activities provide livelihood for many Nigerians, whereas the wealth generated by oil reach a restricted share of people.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$) in Nigeria was reported at 38215186763 USD in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Nigeria - Agriculture, value added - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Nigeria NG: Employment In Agriculture: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data was reported at 36.548 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 36.299 % for 2016. Nigeria NG: Employment In Agriculture: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data is updated yearly, averaging 51.922 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 60.651 % in 2002 and a record low of 30.572 % in 2010. Nigeria NG: Employment In Agriculture: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Employment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Nigeria – Table NG.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2018.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections.

Nigeria Agriculture & Industrial Equipment Engine Market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 12.21% during 2024-30. Discover growth drivers like construction sector expansion and data center construction, along with challenges and opportunities.

3,360 (US dollars) in 2023. Agriculture value added per worker is a measure of agricultural productivity. Value added in agriculture measures the output of the agricultural sector (ISIC divisions 1-5) less the value of intermediate inputs. Agriculture comprises value added from forestry, hunting, and fishing as well as cultivation of crops and livestock production. Data are in constant 2005 U.S. dollars.

Abstract

The programme for the World Census of Agriculture 2000 is the eighth in the series for promoting a global approach to agricultural census taking. The first and second programmes were sponsored by the International Institute for Agriculture (IITA) in 1930 and 1940. Subsequent ones up to 1990 were promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations(FAO). FAO recommends that each country should conduct at least one agricultural census in each census programme decade and its programme for the World Census of Agriculture 2000 for instance corresponds to agricultural census to be undertaken during the decade 1996 to 2005. Many countries do not have sufficient resources for conducting an agricultural census. It therefore became an acceptable practice since 1960 to conduct agricultural census on sample basis for those countries lacking the resources required for a complete enumeration.

In Nigeria's case, a combination of complete enumeration and sample enumeration is adopted whereby the rural (peasant) holdings are covered on sample basis while the modern holdings are covered on complete enumeration. The project named “National Agricultural Sample Census” derives from this practice. Nigeria through the National Agricultural Sample Census (NASC) participated in the 1970's, 1980's, 1990's programmes of the World Census of Agriculture. Nigeria failed to conduct the Agricultural Census in 2003/2004 because of lack of funding. The NBS regular annual agriculture surveys since 1996 had been epileptic and many years of backlog of data set are still unprocessed. The baseline agricultural data is yet to be updated while the annual regular surveys suffered set back. There is an urgent need by the governments (Federal, State, LGA), sector agencies, FAO and other International Organizations to come together to undertake the agricultural census exercise which is long overdue. The conduct of 2006/2008 National Agricultural Sample Census Survey is now on course with the pilot exercise carried out in the third quarter of 2007.

The National Agricultural Sample Census (NASC) 2006/08 is imperative to the strengthening of the weak agricultural data in Nigeria. The project is phased into three sub-projects for ease of implementation; the Pilot Survey, Modern Agricultural Holding and the Main Census. It commenced in the third quarter of 2006 and to terminate in the first quarter of 2008. The pilot survey was implemented collaboratively by National Bureau of Statistics.

The main objective of the pilot survey was to test the adequacy of the survey instruments, equipments and administration of questionnaires, data processing arrangement and report writing. The pilot survey conducted in July 2007 covered the two NBS survey system-the National Integrated Survey of Households (NISH) and National Integrated Survey of Establishment (NISE). The survey instruments were designed to be applied using the two survey systems while the use of Geographic Positioning System (GPS) was introduced as additional new tool for implementing the project.

The Stakeholders workshop held at Kaduna on 21st-23rd May 2007 was one of the initial bench marks for the take off of the pilot survey. The pilot survey implementation started with the first level training (training of trainers) at the NBS headquarters between 13th - 15th June 2007. The second level training for all levels of field personnels was implemented at headquarters of the twelve (12) concerned states between 2nd - 6th July 2007. The field work of the pilot survey commenced on the 9th July and ended on the 13th of July 07. The IMPS and SPSS were the statistical packages used to develop the data entry programme.

Geographic coverage

State

Analysis unit

Household based of fish farmers

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), who were into fish production

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

The survey was carried out in 12 states falling under 6 geo-political zones. 2 states were covered in each geo-political zone. 2 local government areas per selected state were studied. 2 Rural enumeration areas per local government area were covered and 3 Fishing farming housing units were systematically selected and canvassed .

Sampling deviation

There was deviations from the original sample design

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The NASC fishery questionnaire was divided into the following sections: - Holding identification: This is to identify the holder through HU serial number, HH serial number, and demographic characteristics. - Type of fishing sites used by holder. - Sources and quantities of fishing inputs. - Quantity of aquatic production by type. - Quantity sold and value of sale of aquatic products. - Funds committed to fishing by source and others

Cleaning operations

The data processing and analysis plan involved five main stages: training of data processing staff; manual editing and coding; development of data entry programme; data entry and editing and tabulation. Census and Surveys Processing System (CSPro) software were used for data entry, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and CSPro for editing and a combination of SPSS, Statistical Analysis Software (SAS) and EXCEL for table generation. The subject-matter specialists and computer personnel from the NBS and CBN implemented the data processing work. Tabulation Plans were equally developed by these officers for their areas and topics covered in the three-survey system used for the exercise. The data editing is in 2 phases namely manual editing before the data entry were done. This involved using editors at the various zones to manually edit and ensure consistency in the information on the questionnaire. The second editing is the computer editing, this is the cleaning of the already enterd data. The completed questionnaires were collated and edited manually (a) Office editing and coding were done by the editor using visual control of the questionnaire before data entry (b) Cspro was used to design the data entry template provided as external resource (c) Ten operator plus two suppervissor and two progammer were used (d) Ten machines were used for data entry (e) After data entry data entry supervisor runs fequency on each section to see that all the questionnaire were enterd

Response rate

Both Enumeration Area (EA) and Fish holders' level Response Rate was 100 per cent.

Sampling error estimates

No computation of sampling error

Data appraisal

The Quality Control measures were carried out during the survey, essentially to ensure quality of data

Between the first quarter of 2020 and the ************** of 2021, credit allocated by the bank to private agriculture in Nigeria experienced an increase. Specifically, the credit received by this sector grew from about *** billion Nigerian naira (NGN) to over ************* NGN.

As of 2023, Niger registered the agricultural sector's highest contribution to the GDP in Africa, at over ** percent. Comoros and Ethiopia followed, with agriculture, forestry, and fishing accounting for approximately ** percent and ** percent of the GDP, respectively. On the other hand, Botswana, Djibouti, Libya, Zambia, and South Africa were the African countries with the lowest percentage of the GDP generated by the agricultural sector. Agriculture remains a pillar of Africa’s economy Despite the significant variations across countries, agriculture is a key sector in Africa. In 2022, it represented around ** percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP, growing by over *** percentage points compared to 2011. The agricultural industry also strongly contributes to the continent’s job market. The number of people employed in the primary sector in Africa grew from around *** million in 2011 to *** million in 2021. In proportion, agriculture employed approximately ** percent of Africa’s working population in 2021. Agricultural activities attracted a large share of the labor force in Central, East, and West Africa, which registered percentages over the regional average. On the other hand, North Africa recorded the lowest share of employment in agriculture, as the regional economy relies significantly on the industrial and service sectors. Cereals are among the most produced crops Sudan and South Africa are the African countries with the largest agricultural areas. Respectively, they devote around *** million and **** million hectares of land to growing crops. Agricultural production varies significantly across African countries in terms of products and volume. Cereals such as rice, corn, and wheat are among the main crops on the continent, also representing a staple in most countries. The leading cereal producers are Ethiopia, Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa. Together, they recorded a cereal output of almost *** million metric tons in 2021. Additionally, rice production was concentrated in Nigeria, Egypt, Madagascar, and Tanzania.

In Sub Saharan Africa, agriculture’s contribution to employment and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is estimated to be higher than other sectors. Policies designed and implemented for the agricultural sector could be an influencing factor to the variations in the contributions of agriculture to the annual national GDP. These policies are believed to have shaped and (some) still shaping the landscape of agriculture and national economy. The study analysed agriculture’s GDP contribution during the implementation of various national agricultural policies, and the potential of the policies to foster agrobusiness development in Nigeria between 2000 and 2021. The study adopted mixed-method approach. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered on 29 purposively sampled state Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) directors across Nigeria. The questionnaire was face-validated by three experts. Reliability test was carryout using Cronbach Alpha approach, which yielded an index of 0.89. Copies of the questionnaire were administered on the respondents through direct contact. Secondary data were collected from the Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, National Bureau of Statistics, and World Bank. Data was analysed with mean, standard deviation, percentages and ANOVA. Findings of the study revealed that the performance of implemented agricultural policies had influence on agricultural sector’s percentage contribution to national GDP, and changes in agriculture’s GDP contribution had significant impact on national GDP growth. The duration of active life of the policies did not influence their performance, like the Root and Tuber Expansion Programme which lasted longer yet performed less than the National Special Programme on Food Security in terms of improvement in agriculture’s GDP contributions. All the policies implemented had several limitations in their ability to foster agribusinesses in Nigeria. The study recommends that future policies should focus on providing sustainable frameworks for developing the business in agriculture through value chain optimisation and the use of the teeming, young, and affordable labour force like China and India did to become global food producers.

Diversification of the nigerian economy through agricultural sector transformation This study diversification of the Nigerian economy through agricultural sector transformation using descriptive research method examined the role and challenges of the agricultural sector in the diversification of Nigerian economy The findings showed that agriculture contributes to the economic development of a country as it increases domestic supply of food for consumption releases labour for employ