On a warm morning in Awowo, Nigeria, Babajide Taofeek walked through rows of crops without touching a single patch of soil. In place of farmland, he found peppers and leafy greens suspended in vertical trays, their roots drinking from coco peat and nutrient-rich water. LED lights bathed the greenhouse in a steady glow, simulating daylight even as clouds passed overhead.
For Taofeek, a recent agricultural economics graduate, this was not the future of farming he once imagined. It was better.
"Traditional farming is full of drudgery," he said. "And with climate change and insecurity, many people no longer want to go to the farm. But here, I saw a way farming could be easier, smarter and still profitable."
His concerns are not misplaced. According to the African Development Bank, 45 percent of the world's degraded land is in Africa, where soil erosion, deforestation and overuse are straining smallholder farmers. Nearly two-thirds of arable land in Nigeria is considered degraded, particularly in frontline agricultural zones. Meanwhile, farmer-herder clashes, displacement caused by Boko Haram insurgents in the northeast, and erratic weather patterns are pushing millions toward hunger. In 2020 alone, over 39 million Nigerians faced acute food insecurity, according to the Lagos Food Bank Initiative.
Read more at Triple Pundit