The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has partnered with the All-Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) to provide financing for 400,000 farmers ahead of the 2026 dry-season farming cycle.

The initiative is being implemented under the BOA’s Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund and is aimed at promoting year-round food production while improving farmers’ access to agricultural inputs and irrigation equipment.

Under the partnership, AFAN will identify eligible farmers within its national network and provide information on their locations, commodities, farm sizes and proposed dry-season acreage.

The association will also identify suitable Farmer Aggregation Companies (FACs) with verifiable farmer networks and the capacity to coordinate participating farmers.

According to the BOA, approved financing will be provided to eligible farmers through suitable FACs, which will serve as obligors and coordinate the distribution of approved inputs and other production requirements.

The programme will also provide irrigation toolkits and other irrigation equipment to help farmers reduce dependence on rainfall and sustain production during the dry season.

The Managing Director of BOA, Mr Ayo Sotinrin, said the initiative would enable farmers to continue production beyond the main farming season.

He said supporting production throughout the year would help sustain farmers’ livelihoods and contribute to a more reliable food supply across the country.

Sotinrin said the partnership with AFAN would strengthen the bank’s ability to reach farmers on a larger scale and build a stronger pipeline for agricultural financing.

The bank said participating farmers and aggregation companies would undergo verification, due diligence and credit assessment in line with its policies and requirements.

It added that participation would be subject to satisfactory assessment and approval by the bank.

The partnership forms part of BOA’s efforts to expand agricultural financing and promote year-round farming as farmers continue to face challenges including limited irrigation infrastructure and access to credit.