ActionAid Nigeria has raised concerns over the increasing conversion of farmlands into residential and commercial areas amid rising food insecurity in the country.

The Country Director of the organisation Andrew Mamedu raised the concern at a National Town Hall Meeting on the Land Use Act and alternative frameworks for access and control over land for smallholder women farmers and young people in agroecology.

Mamedu said the trend has created significant barriers for farmers in accessing farmland, warning that Nigeria is already grappling with climate shocks, land degradation, rising food insecurity, and deepening vulnerabilities among smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth.

He noted that with support from partners, ActionAid has worked with about 135,000 smallholder women farmers to build their capacity in adopting climate-resilient agricultural practices, while also making progress in improving access to land.

Despite these gains, Mamedu stressed that land disputes, insecurity, gender discrimination, competing land use, and systemic challenges in land administration continue to limit access and control over land, especially for women and young people.

He observed that the challenges highlight structural issues within Nigeria’s land governance system, noting that the Land Use Act has shown limitations in ensuring equitable access and tenure security due to bureaucratic bottlenecks, weak enforcement, and socio-cultural constraints.

Mamedu emphasised that improved land access is critical to advancing agroecology, integrating economic trees for sustainable income, and driving rural economic growth.

He called for stronger partnerships and concrete actions to ensure land becomes accessible, equitable, and empowering, particularly for those contributing to the country’s food production.

Mamedu also stressed the need for inclusive land governance systems to support the implementation of the National Agroecology Strategy developed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria.

The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi also acknowledged that smallholder women farmers and young people constrained by structural, legal, and socio-cultural barriers in access to farmland.

He noted that the challenges not only undermine agricultural productivity but also limit our collective efforts toward inclusive economic growth, climate resilience, and sustainable food systems.

He charged the stakeholders to generate practical, actionable, and inclusive recommendations that can inform policy reform, institutional strengthening, and implementation. strategies at both national and sub-national levels assuring that the outcomes of the engagement will contribute meaningfully to ongoing national efforts on agricultural transformation, inclusive food systems, and climate-resilient development.