ABUJA, NIGERIA – The Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions (FSSS) has commenced the implementation of a three-year national initiative to strengthen post-release variety performance evaluation for three priority crops in Nigeria, beginning with rice.
The project, which is supported with funding from the Gates Foundation, will establish a coordinated, multi-location trial to generate reliable and relevant data on the performance of new and post released crop varieties under real production conditions. The initiative will support evidence-based decision-making by farmers, seed companies, researchers, extension services, and policy actors, and will run from November 2025 to November 2028.
In its first year, the trials will focus on rice before expanding to maize and cowpea in Years Two and Three. Trials will be conducted across multiple agro-ecological zones in Nigeria. Digital tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) will also be deployed for real-time field data capture, analysis, and reporting, ensuring transparency, accuracy, and timely dissemination of results.
According to Isaiah Gabriel, Executive Director of FSSS, the project will address existing gaps in Nigeria’s current seeds system, where post-release performance data is often fragmented, outdated, inaccessible or outright unavailable to farmers, seed companies, processors and consumers
“Access to credible, location-specific varietal performance data is critical for farmers’ productivity and resilience,” said Isaiah.
“This initiative will help ensure that farmers, research institutes, extension agents, and seed companies are working with verified evidence rather than assumptions,” he added.
Key project outcomes will include the establishment of a national multi-locational trial network for the three priority crops and the data will be subjected to digital head-to-head comparison dashboards, the release of annual Nigeria Variety Performance Reports, the development of farmer-friendly information products in multiple formats, and the strengthening of collaboration among breeding institutions, seed companies and extension actors.
Alongside digital technology, the project will also integrate gender-responsive approaches and inclusive communication channels such as community radio, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), demonstration plots and field days to ensure broad access to information, particularly among smallholder farmers and underserved groups.
About the Foundation
The Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions (FSSS) is a Nigerian non-profit organization working to improve smallholder productivity, resilience and market access through innovation, partnerships and evidence-driven agricultural interventions.
For media enquiries:
FSSS Communications Unit
Email: media@fsssolutions.org