The European Union (EU), through its space agency ESA, is teaming up with Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) to roll out a satellite-powered agriculture project aimed at improving food security across the country.
The project, called Innovative Agriculture, also known as Copernicus, is expected to launch before January 2026, Nairametrics reported.
Hugh Briggs, the EU’s Programme Manager for Agriculture in Nigeria and West Africa, confirmed the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He explained that the project will use space technology and digital tools to help Nigerian farmers make better decisions about soil, crops, and planting timelines.
“We have a new project called Innovative Agriculture, also known as Copernicus; it involves the European Union signing a contract with ESA to work directly with NASRDA because they have the technical capabilities,” Briggs said.
Don’t Miss This:
AI to Help Nigerian Farmers Boost Crop Yields and Cut Losses, Expert Says
While ESA will supply the technical know-how, NASRDA will manage on-the-ground implementation.
Their role will focus on supporting smallholder farmers with data gathered from satellites to improve their understanding of soil quality, crop suitability, and the best times to plant.
According to Briggs, the agencies are nearly ready to launch.
“Currently, ESA is in close contact with NASRDA, and we are at the point of almost inaugurating the project in Nigeria, and this will be coming up maybe at the end of this year, but will not exceed January 2026,” he said.
The EU is funding the project, and implementation will include satellite data analysis, field deployment of digital tools, and extensive training.
Young people in rural communities will be trained to support the rollout.
“NASRDA will also identify and recruit young people within communities, train them in innovative agriculture, provide them with tools, and teach them different applications,” Briggs said.
“They will be taught soil testing, how to get the radius, longitude, latitude, and all the technology in terms of mapping their farms, including polygon mapping.”
“Most importantly, they will be taught how to use that technology to understand what to plant, when to plant, how to plant, what is suitable for the soil, and what is not suitable for the soil,” he added.
As part of the project’s rollout, NASRDA has selected seven ecological zones across Nigeria where demonstration farms will be set up.
These farms will feature precision agriculture tools and serve as live learning environments for local farmers.
The farms will also help gather satellite data to guide extension workers and government decision-makers.
A second component of the initiative involves creating a high-tech hub at NASRDA to serve as a national training and innovation center.
“The second aspect is that we are looking at setting up a state-of-the-art tech centre, like a hub in NASRDA, as part of the project. It will be a training center with modern equipment,” Briggs said.
The hub will support ongoing learning and act as a central platform for distributing satellite-based tools and insights to agriculture stakeholders throughout Nigeria.
Briggs said the initiative is part of a wider EU effort to harness digital and space-based solutions to increase agricultural productivity across Africa.
Don’t Miss This:
Africa’s Agriculture Sector on the Rise: 10 Top Investment Incentives Powering Growth in 2025
Image Credit: Nairametrics
