Walk into a classroom wearing tattered clothes, clutching a rusty hoe, and ask the students, “Who wants to be a farmer?” You’ll probably get laughs, a few side-eyes, and almost no hands in the air. Now, walk back in, this time in a crisp shirt, holding a sleek drone in one hand, do a quick flight demo on a model farm, and ask the same question. Suddenly, the room shifts. Hands go up. Faces light up.
For decades, farming in Nigeria was seen as “dirty man’s work”, a job for those without options. But today, a new picture is emerging. Young Nigerians are reclaiming agriculture, fusing tradition with technology, and turning it into a business worth bragging about. From drone-powered crop mapping to app-based farm management, this new wave of agripreneurs is making farming cool, profitable, and aspirational.
Success Stories of Young Nigerian Agripreneurs
The faces of this movement are diverse. One notable example is Dorothy Vandefan, a graduate from Benue State who earned an agricultural engineering degree but struggled to find a job. She enrolled in a rice-farming training program, then started farming on just half a hectare with zero experience. Within months she was profitable enough to scale up threefold and even hired day-workers. Dorothy later co-founded Gedalya Synergy Resources to produce and sell high-quality certified rice seed, turning her once-hobby into a full-fledged agri-business. As she puts it, “What I took up as a challenge, I have turned into a business”.
Read through LinkedIn and Twitter feeds and you would see more interesting stories of young agripreneurs and Agribusiness consultant like Muhammed Alhassan, a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, piloting a sustainable organic driven 1000 yam sack farming, and currently leading a 50 acre rice farming project, in collaboration with Chinese technical partners.
On X, another Ahmadu Bello University graduate, Raji Mukhtar Adedotun is sharing his progress as he embarks on an ambitious 8 hectare soybean farming. His story is inspiring as this project was born from his initiative to get busy and productive while awaiting NYSC mobilization.
Nyifamu Ogechi Manzo’s story is another inspiring one, a young woman from Lagos. In 2019 she and her brother started with 50 backyard chickens. Nyifamu posted on social media asking for investors, and within 11 days friends and family had pooled over ₦1 million to expand her poultry house. “We started from 50 birds and then 70, 100 and 120 birds over time,” she reports. Today her poultry farm is thriving, and she’s advising others to start small and build gradually. These success stories – ordinary Nigerians who made farming work – are proof that youth-driven agriculture is alive and thriving.
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Farming for Everyone – From Crops to Critters
Importantly, this youth resurgence isn’t limited to one crop or method. Young Nigerians are finding niches across poultry, aquaculture, crop farming, and even high-tech vertical systems. Poultry farming is especially popular because it requires relatively little land and delivers quick returns. Like Nyifamu, many start with just a few dozen birds in a backyard pen, then reinvest profits to grow steadily. Fish farming (tilapia and catfish) is also drawing interest, thanks to Nigeria’s huge appetite for fish and government campaigns to boost aquaculture. Even with limited space, youth in urban areas are experimenting with vertical farming and hydroponics – growing vegetables and herbs indoors under LED lights or in water-based systems. These innovations use far less land and water, making farming possible in cities. One young Lagos farmer now grows lettuce and strawberries on stacked shelves, showing that even city dwellers can farm successfully.
Beyond these niches, many young farmers are combining tech with tradition. Mobile apps and online platforms let them track weather, sell produce directly, and even crowdfund farms. For example, fintech platforms like ThriveAgric and FarmCrowdy have opened up new avenues: everyday Nigerians can “sponsor” parts of a farm and share in the harvest. FarmCrowdy, Nigeria’s first digital farming platform, once engaged over 25,000 farmers in its prime and built a user base of 427,000 people. ThriveAgric has similarly connected smallholder growers to investors across Nigeria. These services mean you don’t need to own land to start: you can effectively become a farmer through an app, learning the ropes and earning income. Meanwhile, innovations like solar-powered irrigation pumps, drone spraying, and IoT sensors for soil and livestock health are trickling down even to village farms, showing that agriculture can be as high-tech as any startup sector.
Innovations and Agritech Support
Part of what makes farming attractive now is the agribusiness ecosystem growing around it. Nigerian agritech startups and initiatives are explicitly targeting youth empowerment. There a several routes to take, you could start a farm-to-consumer delivery service, launch a micro-vegetable or fish farm in your backyard, or even offer your farming know-how as a paid consultant. You can also partner with existing agritech companies. You might sign up as a field agent or extension officer for platforms like AgroMall or ThriveAgric, gaining experience, training and steady income while you learn.
Government and NGOs are also pitching in. The Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), for example, includes agricultural loans tailored for young agripreneurs, often with low interest rates and long terms. State and federal programs – from vocational farms to funded training – are actively encouraging graduates to farm. A new Youth Back to Farm initiative aims to train 500 youths in each state with modern farming skills (see Agritech Digest’s Agritech Opportunities section for such programs). Even corporate initiatives, like Dangote’s recent rice scheme for unemployed graduates, are enlisting youth in large-scale farming projects. All these efforts are slowly shifting farming’s image from “a last resort” to a respectable, supported career choice.
How You Can Get Started
If you’re a young Nigerian curious about farming, here are some actionable steps:
- Start Small and Smart. You don’t need acres to begin. Begin with a micro-enterprise: a small chicken coop, a backyard vegetable garden, or a few fish tanks. Focus on quick-return ventures (like mushrooms, leafy greens, or broilers) so you see results and cash flow sooner. Even a spare room (as Nyifamu showed) can launch a business.
- Leverage Technology. Use apps to learn and plan. Satellite-driven crop guides, weather apps, and farm-management software can boost your yields. Explore precision ag tools if you can (even simple sensors or irrigation timers make a difference). For fresh ideas, read Agritech Digest’s Technology & Innovation articles (e.g., on solar farms and AI for agriculture). These will spark ways to modernise your farm.
- Tap into Mentorship and Networks. Join a farmers’ cooperative, a youth-farming group, or an online community. Attend local agri-workshops and connect with extension officers. Peer-to-peer learning is powerful – shadow a successful young farmer if you can. Many start-ups need on-ground help, so consider applying as a field officer or data collector for an agritech platform. You’ll earn while you learn the business, and gain valuable contacts.
- Seek Funding and Grants. Don’t shy from loans or startup funding. Apart from NYIF, look into CBN agricultural credit schemes, state agriculture funds, or agro-based pitch contests. Many NGOs and international programs (like the Youth in Agriculture programs seen in our Opportunities section) offer grants or low-interest loans specifically for young farmers. Even if you don’t get funds, applying builds your plan and impresses future investors.
- Focus on Value-Addition. Even a small farm can multiply profits with processing. If you grow rice, consider milling and packaging it yourself. If you raise poultry, look at smoked chicken or ready-to-cook products. Small agro-processing (making juice, dried snacks, animal feed, etc.) lets you charge premium prices.
- Tell Your Story. As Muhammed, Raji, Dorothy and Nyifamu show, sharing your journey can attract support. Use social media or local press to document progress. You may find investors or customers via word-of-mouth. Nigeria’s youth movement is gaining momentum, and each success story encourages another. Agritech experts remind us: sharing your achievements creates the role models that inspire others
The Future is On The Field
Nigeria’s youth have the energy and innovation to revitalise agriculture, and they’re already proving it. Between 2019 and today, thousands of young Nigerians have taken up poultry, fish ponds, greenhouse veggies, or agri-tech startups. By leveraging new technology, forming partnerships, and getting creative with financing, today’s young entrepreneurs are making farming cool again. We call on investors and agriculture focused venture capitalist to seize this untapped potential and help these youths build the food secure future they envision for the country.
