As climate change continues to alter the dynamics of food production globally, its impacts are being felt most acutely in regions where agriculture is both a livelihood and a lifeline. In Nigeria, smallholder farmers, who produce a significant portion of the country’s food, are increasingly vulnerable to climate shocks, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and soil degradation.

But these challenges are not insurmountable. At ThriveAgric, we believe that the path to food security lies not just in producing more, but in producing sustainably, intelligently, and inclusively. It is within this context that we proudly flagged off our tree-planting initiative and farmer training programme in Niger State, as part of our ongoing partnership with AGRA.

This initiative is more than a ceremonial planting - it is a bold, intentional move toward building climate resilience, empowering farmers, and transforming food systems from the roots up.

The project is focused on strengthening the resilience of 10,000 smallholder farmers across key grain-producing communities in Niger State. Over the next three years, these farmers - 30% women and 40% youth - will be supported to cultivate maize, rice, and soybean using scalable, adaptable, and inclusive Climate-Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices.

CSA is no longer a forward-looking idea, it is a present-day imperative. By promoting the production of at least 10,000MT of high-quality grains annually, with 20% produced through low-carbon, sustainable methods, the project ensures that food production does not come at the expense of environmental sustainability.

But what sets this initiative apart is the intentional integration of environmental restoration and economic resilience: a dual approach that reflects ThriveAgric’s commitment to sustainable transformation.

The tree-planting exercise launched under this initiative is a flagship component of this approach. With over 30,000 trees set to be planted by 300 participating farmers, this initiative is designed to achieve multiple outcomes:

By positioning tree planting as both an ecological and economic investment, ThriveAgric is helping farmers not only adapt to climate change but also actively participate in climate solutions.

This is climate adaptation reimagined, not just surviving the future, but shaping it.

To make this transformation sustainable, knowledge transfer is critical. As part of the flag-off activities, ThriveAgric hosted a comprehensive capacity-building session for farmers. These sessions go beyond technical assistance, they are designed to inspire behavioral change and equip farmers with the tools to adopt climate-smart practices as a way of life.

Topics ranged from sustainable land use and input efficiency, to post-harvest practices and accessing structured markets. Farmers were not just trained - they were engaged as co-creators in building a new agricultural reality.

This approach reflects our core belief: that farmers are not just beneficiaries of innovation; they are drivers of it.

As Nigeria and Africa strive toward the goals of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, initiatives like this play a pivotal role. Climate change may be a global challenge, but its most effective solutions are often local, rooted in the lived experiences, knowledge, and agency of smallholder farmers.

By aggregating 18,000MT of produce and ensuring market linkages for participating farmers, this project also addresses a long-standing challenge in African agriculture: the absence of structured, dependable markets. ThriveAgric’s end-to-end model connects farmers to blended finance, technology, data-driven best practices, and now, climate and environmental value chains.

What we are building in Niger State is not just a programme, it is a blueprint. A model that shows what is possible when innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity meet at the grassroots. It is a call to governments, funders, and agribusinesses to rethink agricultural development not as a short-term intervention, but as a long-term investment in people, planet, and prosperity.

At ThriveAgric, we are not just supporting farmers to grow food, we are helping them grow resilience, wealth, and a climate-secure future.

The future of food is climate-smart. And the future of climate-smart agriculture is being written today - tree by tree, farm by farm, farmer by farmer.