MAGGI Scales Up Regenerative Farming, Empower 25,000 Nigerian Farmers
By Rashidat Olushola Okunlade
MAGGI, Nigeria’s leading seasoning brand from Nestlé, has deepened its commitment to sustainable local sourcing through a major expansion of its Regenerative Agriculture (RegenAg) initiative, a program designed to strengthen food systems, improve farmer livelihoods, and restore soil health across the country.
Following the successful completion of its ₦100 million pilot project launched in 2023, MAGGI’s regenerative farming initiative is now scaling up to reach 25,000 smallholder farmers nationwide, transforming the way soybeans — a key ingredient in MAGGI products — are cultivated in Nigeria.
The pilot phase, implemented in partnership with TechnoServe and IDH, with technical guidance from Ghana’s Centre for No-Till Agriculture (CNTA), supported 1,030 soybean farmers to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices such as cover cropping, minimal tillage, crop rotation, and hedgerow planting. These simple yet powerful techniques led to improved yields and healthier soils.
“Soybean is a key ingredient in MAGGI, and supporting local farmers to grow it sustainably is central to our mission,” said Funmi Osineye, Category Manager for Culinary, Nestlé Nigeria. “This initiative is more than a sourcing strategy; it’s an investment in resilient food systems. By equipping farmers — especially women and youth — with regenerative agriculture skills, we are improving productivity today while protecting the land for future generations.”
At a celebration event held to mark the pilot’s success, more than 150 stakeholders from agriculture, development, and industry gathered to honour five exceptional farmers for their outstanding adoption of regenerative practices. One of them, Engineer Lawan Abdul, shared his experience:
“Since I started adopting these strategies, as we were taught in this project, my yields have increased by 100%. This was very encouraging, and I would like to applaud the project organizers and thank MAGGI for bringing this to us.”
Encouraged by these results, Nestlé — in partnership with AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa) — is scaling the program to produce at least 80,000 metric tonnes of quality grains annually, a growing portion of which will be cultivated through regenerative methods.
“This project shows what is possible when businesses, development partners, and farmers work together,” said Alidu Amadu, Head of Agriculture Services, Nestlé Central & West Africa Region. “Regenerative agriculture not only restores soil health but also builds long-term productivity and resilience for local communities.”
The initiative aligns with Nestlé’s global ambition to source 20% of its key ingredients through regenerative agricultural practices by 2025 and 50% by 2030, reinforcing its contribution to Nigeria’s food security and rural development goals.
