Food Security: Plant Breeders Urge Investment in Agricultural Innovation Ahead of FCT Conference

Nigeria needs more than expanded farmland to feed its growing population, Prof. Victor Adetimirin said. The country must raise the productivity, resilience and profitability of its agricultural systems through research and innovation.

Adetimirin, president of the Nigerian Plant Breeders Association, made the call in Abuja while unveiling plans for the association’s 2026 annual conference. The two-day event will take place in the Federal Capital Territory on Sept. 23 and 24.

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Meeting these challenges requires more than expanding the area under cultivation. Nigeria must also improve the productivity, resilience and profitability of its agricultural systems.

He pointed to increasingly difficult conditions for farmers, including climate change, emerging pests and diseases, declining soil productivity, pressure on available farmland, unstable agricultural supply chains and rising production costs. Developing improved crop varieties, he said, could help farmers achieve higher yields and withstand pests, diseases, drought, heat and other environmental stresses.

“Meeting these challenges requires more than expanding the area under cultivation. Nigeria must also improve the productivity, resilience and profitability of its agricultural systems,” Adetimirin said. “Plant breeding is central to this process.”

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Plant breeding is central to this process.

He described investment in plant breeding and crop improvement as an investment not only in science, but also in agricultural productivity, business development, supply-chain stability and national food security. He called for closer cooperation among universities, research institutions, government agencies, seed companies, farmers, financial institutions, agribusinesses and development partners.

The conference theme is “Leveraging Breeding Innovations and Strategic Partnerships for Agribusiness Investment, Stable Supply Chain and National Food Security in a Changing Climate.” It will serve as a forum for presenting scientific advances, exchanging ideas, building partnerships and exploring ways to turn research into commercially viable agricultural solutions.

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Investment in plant breeding and crop improvement is not only an investment in science; it is an investment in agricultural productivity, business development, supply-chain stability and national food security.