When you hear “agriculture investment in Nigeria,” what comes to your mind?
Mud? Stress? Waking up at 4:00 AM to handle a hoe? Or maybe you just think, “That’s not for me. I’m a corporate professional.”
That’s exactly what Amaka thought, too. Amaka works in Lagos. She’s a manager, a busy mom, and a professional Lagos traffic survivor. She doesn’t know the difference between a maize seed and a rice seedling. Yet, last December, she earned an 18% return from an Irish potato farm in Kwara without ever leaving Lagos.
She didn’t touch soil. She didn’t even know the farmer. So, how did she do it?
The 2026 “Green Gold” Rush
For years, oil was the backbone of Nigeria. But in 2026, the soil is the new engine of wealth. With over $200 million in recent international funding boosting local production, agriculture has transitioned from a “hustle” to a high-tech industrial sector.
Whether you’re a professional or in the Diaspora, you can now own a piece of the ₦120 trillion agro-market through these five beginner-friendly pathways:
How to start investing in agriculture in Nigeria
Beginning your journey depends on your budget and how much “dirt” you want on your hands. Here are 5 ways to start as a beginner:
1. Invest in fractional farm produce on Hervest
Hervest makes it easy to grow your wealth while empowering over 10,000 smallholder female farmers across Nigeria. Through the Hervest app, you can fund pre-vetted farm opportunities like cassava, yam, and maize from women-led farms in states like Kwara. For as low as ₦50,000, you buy “slots” of produce while professional farmers handle the daily operations. This passive model allows you to earn impactful returns of up to 24% annually by the end of the harvest cycle. Most importantly, you are directly closing the gender finance gap and strengthening food security for thousands of households.
2. Farmland Banking
Just like real estate flipping, land banking involves buying fertile land in “agro-corridors” like Epe or parts of Oyo State and holding it. As infrastructure improves, the land value skyrockets. You can also lease the land to farmers while you wait for it to appreciate.
3. Finance Agro-Processing
The real money in 2026 isn’t just in growing cassava; it’s in turning that cassava into flour or ethanol. You can invest in small-scale processing plants. These businesses have more stable margins because they aren’t as dependent on weather as the actual farming is.
4. Commodity Trading
This involves buying crops like ginger, cocoa, or paddy rice during harvest (when prices are low) and storing them in certified warehouses to sell during the “lean season” (when prices are high). It’s a classic “buy low, sell high” strategy.
5. Export Financing
Nigeria is currently a top exporter of Cashew and Sesame seeds. Many exporters have the contracts but lack the cash to fulfill them. By providing “Export Finance,” you help move Nigerian goods to the global market and earn a premium in foreign exchange or its Naira equivalent.
The bottom line
You don’t need a tractor to profit from the soil; you just need a strategy. In 2026, agriculture is a data-driven asset class that hedges perfectly against inflation.
Ready to start your first farm cycle? Download the Hervest App and explore our latest pre-vetted opportunities.