In a bold move to boost food production and empower local farmers, the Lagos State Government, in partnership with the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, has disbursed N11.4 million in agricultural grants to 87 farmers across the state.
The grants were distributed under the 2025 RHI Agricultural Support Programme, with 27 youth and women receiving N200,000 each, along with farming inputs, to enhance productivity. An additional 60 beneficiaries, drawn from the state’s senatorial districts, received N100,000 each under the “Every Home a Garden 2.0” initiative.
Beneficiaries represented a broad spectrum of the agricultural value chain—poultry, fisheries, vegetable farming, garri processing, beekeeping, and zobo drink production, among others.
Youth Engagement and School Projects
In line with the national food security drive, the programme also seeks to spark agricultural interest among younger generations. 120 students from 24 schools—five from both junior and senior levels per school—were selected to participate in school-based agricultural projects through the Young Farmers Club.
Speaking at the cheque presentation and official launch of the initiative at Lagos House, Ikeja, the Wife of the Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, lauded First Lady Oluremi Tinubu for initiating the programme and supporting it with N60 million.
“This initiative is reawakening the agricultural spirit in our women and youth. We’re building a Lagos where no one goes to bed hungry, where agriculture is not just a tradition but a future,” she stated.
Dr. Sanwo-Olu noted that the initiative is being simultaneously launched across all 36 states of the federation.
A Future Rooted in Agriculture
Also present at the event was Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat, wife of the Deputy Governor, who emphasized the role of household farming in achieving self-sufficiency.
“We are witnessing a new wave of agricultural opportunities. Let this seed planted today yield lasting harvests,” she urged.
Renowned farmer Femi Ojelade and Lagos State Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Omolara Oguntuyi, encouraged youth to embrace organic and sustainable farming practices, stressing that agriculture remains a viable pathway to economic empowerment.
With Nigeria’s food security challenges increasingly in focus, the Lagos agricultural support programme underscores a national call to action—from gardens to farms, and classrooms to communities.
