Over 180,000 farms across Nigeria have been destroyed by floods, highlighting the growing threat climate change and insecurity pose to the country’s agricultural sector and food supply.
A new report by SBM Intelligence, published in June 2025, warns that the combined effects of widespread flooding, desertification, and rural violence are pushing over 100 million Nigerians into food insecurity.
The flooding, which affected more than 30 states, has devastated crops and agricultural infrastructure, with the Middle Belt—Nigeria’s key food-producing region—particularly hard-hit. Food inflation surged to 35.41% in January 2024 following the destruction of crops.
Desertification in the northern region is compounding the crisis, with 350,000 hectares of arable land lost annually. Insecurity, driven by farmer-herder clashes and banditry, has displaced more than 2.2 million people, paralyzing agricultural activity in the Centre-North and Northwest.
By early 2024, an estimated 100 million Nigerians were food insecure, with 18.6 million suffering from acute hunger. The report’s release followed deadly floods in Niger State in May 2025, which killed over 200 people and displaced more than 3,000 residents, underlining the urgency of coordinated responses to climate and security challenges.
