AGRICULTURE
The agriculture sector is susceptible to corruption due to its complex supply chains, large volumes of public spending, and heavy reliance on intermediaries. Corruption in agriculture can suppress productivity, inflate costs for smallholder farmers, and entrench poverty by diverting the benefits of public investment away from intended beneficiaries.
SOAS-ACE is evaluating a digital innovation that converts smallholder farmers’ assets into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to improve access to credit and attract investment. The research assesses whether the pilot, running in Nigeria, leads to better credit access, increased farmer incomes, and changes in rule-following behaviour.
This pilot builds off our previous research into how Nigeria’s fertiliser subsidy and distribution programmes could be redesigned to reduce corruption and increase productivity, focusing on aligning incentives among fertiliser producers, agro-dealers, and farmers. By working with industry stakeholders and analysing supply chain dynamics, the research proposed reforms to minimise black-market diversion and reduce middlemen capturing benefits that should be reaching farmers.
FEATURED PUBLICATIONS
Increasing agricultural productivity through fertiliser use
ACE-NI-Fertilisers-2pp-A4-Leaflet-final
FEATURED PROJECTS
Fertilisers in Nigeria
Successive Nigerian governments have struggled to design and implement a fertiliser subsidy regime which increases farmer uptake and productivity, but is affordable for the government and does not become subject to corruption. This project analysed the changing dynamics of corruption in response to changes in policy, asking which approaches could limit the negative impact of corruption and fertiliser smuggling on policy implementation.
Evaluation of an Agritech Pilot in Abuja
We are evaluating a pilot that involves ‘tokenising’ smallholder farmers’ assets, as a means of improving their access to credit. The ‘tokenisation’ model converts physical and intangible assets of farmers into nonfungible tokens (NFTs), establishing a digital profile that mirrors a credit score or business presentation. This digital asset serves as collateral and boosts transparency and trustworthiness in farmers’ enterprises, attracting investor interest.
