BOA and AFAN Partner to Expand Financing for 400,000 Dry-Season Farmers

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

The initiative is being implemented under BOA's Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund (RH-SSVCF) and is designed to support farmers with financing, agricultural inputs and irrigation equipment needed to continue production beyond the main rainy season.

For farmers who have access to suitable land and are planning to cultivate during the dry season, the announcement could provide an important financing opportunity.

But there is an important point to understand: this is not being presented as a general cash loan that every farmer can simply apply for and receive. The programme uses a structured farmer identification and aggregation model, with verification and credit assessment before financing is approved.

What Is the BOA and AFAN Partnership About?

The partnership is intended to help farmers continue agricultural production during the dry season rather than depending entirely on rainfall.

According to BOA, dry-season production can help maintain food supply beyond the main farming season, while giving farmers an opportunity to increase production cycles.

The financing support is also broader than simply providing seeds and fertiliser. BOA says the initiative will include support for irrigation toolkits and other irrigation equipment, helping farmers reduce their dependence on rainfall.

The programme is targeting 400,000 farmers across Nigeria.

How the Programme Is Expected to Work

One of the most important things farmers need to understand is the role AFAN and Farmer Aggregation Companies will play.

1. AFAN identifies farmers

AFAN will use its national farmer network to identify farmers who are preparing for dry-season production.

Information expected to be provided includes:

  • Farmer location

  • Commodity to be produced

  • Farm size

  • Proposed dry-season acreage

  • Other information required for verification and assessment

This means farmers with clear production plans and verifiable farming activities are likely to be better positioned than people simply looking for agricultural cash without an actual production plan.

2. Farmer Aggregation Companies help coordinate farmers

AFAN will also help identify suitable Farmer Aggregation Companies (FACs) with verifiable farmer networks and the ability to coordinate participating farmers.

Under the programme's Farmer Allocation Model, approved financing will be channelled through suitable FACs.

These companies will act as obligors and coordinate the allocation and deployment of approved inputs and other production requirements to participating farmers.

This aggregation model is important because financing thousands of individual smallholder farmers independently can be difficult to administer.

Instead, farmers can be organised into structured groups or networks that can be verified, monitored and supported.

What Can the Financing Support?

The announcement indicates that the intervention goes beyond conventional farm inputs.

The programme is expected to support:

  • Agricultural inputs

  • Dry-season production activities

  • Irrigation toolkits

  • Irrigation equipment

  • Other approved production requirements

The exact support available to an individual farmer will depend on the programme structure, the farmer's production plan and the approval process.

This focus on irrigation is particularly significant for dry-season farmers.

Without reliable access to water, dry-season farming can become expensive and risky. A farmer may have suitable land and a good market but still struggle if irrigation infrastructure is inadequate.

Who Is the Programme For?

The announcement is primarily relevant to farmers who are actively preparing for dry-season production.

A farmer should ideally be able to clearly explain:

  • What they want to cultivate

  • Where the farm is located

  • How much land is available

  • How much they intend to cultivate

  • What inputs or production support they need

  • How the farm will be managed

  • What their expected production plan looks like

The programme is not simply about having an interest in farming.

BOA has stated that submitted farmer and FAC information will undergo verification, due diligence and credit assessment, and participation will be subject to satisfactory assessment and approval.

What Farmers Should Do Now

If you are interested in participating, don't wait until planting is already underway before preparing your information.

1. Know your production plan

Write down:

Commodity: Maize
Location: Hotoro, Kano
Farm size: 5 hectares
Dry-season acreage: 5 hectares
Expected planting period: [date]
Expected harvest: [date]
Irrigation requirement: Borehole/pump/drip irrigation
Estimated input requirement: [details]

Your plan does not have to be complicated, but you should know what you are trying to produce.

2. Keep your farm information ready

Prepare accurate information about:

  • Your name and contact details

  • Farm location

  • Farm size

  • Commodity

  • Previous farming experience

  • Current production activities

  • Proposed dry-season acreage

  • Irrigation access

  • Existing farm infrastructure

Accurate information matters because the programme includes verification and due diligence.

3. Connect with your farmer association or aggregation network

Because AFAN is playing a farmer-identification and aggregation role, farmers should pay attention to communications from their relevant farmer associations and recognised agricultural networks.

Farmers should also verify any registration or financing information through official channels before submitting personal documents or paying anyone claiming to guarantee access.

4. Don't assume approval

This is important.

Being identified or submitted for consideration does not automatically mean financing has been approved.

BOA has explicitly said that farmers and aggregation companies will go through verification, due diligence and credit assessment before participation is approved.

Is This a Grant or a Loan?

Farmers should be careful with this distinction.

The current BOA announcement describes the initiative as financing, not a blanket grant programme.

BOA's broader Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund has been structured around agricultural financing and aggregation. BOA has also previously described its smallholder financing under the wider programme as credit rather than free cash support.

Therefore, farmers should not assume that money received through this initiative is free money.

Before accepting any financing, a farmer should understand:

  • Amount approved

  • What the financing can be used for

  • Repayment terms

  • Interest or financing cost

  • Repayment schedule

  • Any required contribution

  • What happens in the event of crop failure

  • Responsibilities of the farmer

  • Responsibilities of the aggregation company

The specific terms for this dry-season arrangement should be confirmed from BOA or the authorised programme structure before committing to anything.

Why Irrigation Support Matters

Dry-season farming can create another production cycle, but it also creates a major dependency on reliable water.

A farmer who relies entirely on rainfall cannot operate a true dry-season production system.

Irrigation can allow farmers to:

  • Plant outside the main rainy season

  • Increase the number of production cycles

  • Reduce dependence on unpredictable rainfall

  • Maintain production when rainfall stops

  • Potentially supply markets when seasonal availability is lower

That is why the inclusion of irrigation equipment in the BOA initiative is significant.

BOA specifically says the support is intended to help farmers maintain production during the dry season and reduce dependence on rainfall.

Why This Matters Beyond Individual Farmers

The partnership is also part of a larger push toward year-round food production in Nigeria.

Nigeria's agricultural production is heavily affected by seasonal cycles. When production falls between major harvest periods, supply can tighten and prices can become more volatile.

Supporting farmers to produce during additional cycles could help increase the amount of food entering the market throughout the year.

The initiative also fits into BOA's wider Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value Chain Fund, which has been designed around financing, agricultural inputs, farmer aggregation and market linkages.

But Financing Alone Is Not Enough

Access to credit is important, but it does not automatically make a farm profitable.

A farmer receiving financing still needs to answer several questions:

What will I produce?

Who will buy it?

What will it cost to produce?

How much can I realistically harvest?

How will I transport it?

What happens if prices fall?

How will I repay the financing?

This is why farmers should think about the entire value chain before taking financing.

For example, a farmer who receives financing to grow tomatoes but has no plan for harvesting, transportation, storage or buyers could still lose money.

Finance should support a viable farming business, not replace one.

Farmers Should Also Think About the Market Before Planting

One of the biggest mistakes in farming is producing first and asking who will buy later.

Before using financing for dry-season production, farmers should investigate:

  • Current demand

  • Potential buyers

  • Expected selling period

  • Quality requirements

  • Quantity buyers require

  • Transportation costs

  • Storage requirements

  • Current market prices

  • Alternative buyers

This is especially important when borrowing money.

If the farmer has to repay financing after harvest, selling at a poor price can create serious financial pressure.

Farmers should therefore treat market access as part of the production plan.

What FarmersTag Thinks Farmers Should Take From This

The BOA and AFAN partnership is encouraging because it recognises two major problems facing Nigerian farmers: access to finance and the ability to produce beyond the rainy season.

However, farmers should look beyond the headline of "400,000 farmers."

The real questions are:

  • How will farmers be selected?

  • How quickly will financing reach them?

  • What will individual farmers qualify for?

  • What are the repayment conditions?

  • Which Farmer Aggregation Companies will participate?

  • Which commodities and locations will receive support?

  • How will irrigation equipment be deployed?

  • How will farmers access technical support?

  • What happens if weather or market conditions affect repayment?

The success of the programme will ultimately depend on execution, timely disbursement, transparent selection, effective monitoring and whether farmers can actually turn the financing and inputs into productive output. An independent Proshare analysis similarly noted that important details such as facility size, tenor, pricing and disbursement timeline had not been publicly disclosed in the announcement. Proshare

What Should Farmers Do Next?

If you are planning to farm during the 2026 dry season, this is a good time to get your farm information organised.

Your checklist

☐ Know what you want to farm
☐ Confirm your available land
☐ Determine your dry-season acreage
☐ Identify your water source
☐ Prepare an estimated production budget
☐ Identify potential buyers
☐ Document your farm location
☐ Keep your farmer/business records organised
☐ Connect with your recognised farmer association or aggregation network
☐ Follow official BOA/AFAN announcements
☐ Understand the financing and repayment conditions before accepting anything

Farmers can also monitor the Bank of Agriculture's official Renewed Hope Smallholder Support and Value-Chain Fund information for programme updates and aggregation-related information.

The Bigger Picture

The partnership between BOA and AFAN is more than another agricultural financing announcement.

If properly implemented, it could help more Nigerian farmers move from seasonal production to more structured year-round farming.

But finance is only one part of the equation.

A productive farm still needs:

Finance + Inputs + Water + Knowledge + Good Farm Management + Market Access

If one of those pieces is missing, financing alone may not solve the farmer's problem.

For farmers preparing for the 2026 dry season, the practical lesson is simple:

Don't wait for financing before planning your farm. Prepare the farm plan, understand the market, organise your records and follow the official programme channels.

The farmers who are ready with a clear production plan will be in a much stronger position when opportunities for financing become available.