An interactive guide to Nigeria's farming belts — from the humid cocoa and oil-palm forests of the south to the grain and legume savannahs of the north. Explore each zone for crops, soils and rainfall, see the ownership rules and export demand, and find farmland handled end to end by African Land.
Tap a zone on the map to see its crops, soils and climate. Zone boundaries are indicative agro-ecological regions, not cadastral lines.
Soils: Deep but leached forest soils; fertile where well managed
Nigeria's humid forest belt and its cocoa and oil-palm heartland — cocoa is the country's top agricultural export, alongside rubber, plantain and tree crops.
Where: Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Imo, Enugu & the South-West/South-East
Soils: Waterlogged, saline mangrove mud
Brackish delta wetlands — cultivation is limited to stabilised, non-saline land (swamp rice), but the zone is strong in oil palm, fisheries and aquaculture.
Where: The Niger Delta — Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and coastal Lagos
Soils: Loamy savanna soils, good for mixed cropping
Nigeria's food basket — yam, grains and legumes, with shea and locust bean trees, ginger (southern Kaduna) and a fast-growing cashew frontier.
Where: Kaduna, FCT, Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi, Niger, Plateau, Taraba
Soils: Sandy, free-draining savanna soils
The dry north's grain, legume and cotton belt with a short single rainy season — sesame and groundnut are major non-oil exports.
Where: Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Borno
Soils: Sandy, slightly alkaline, saline in places
Nigeria's driest margin — pastoralism and irrigated farming around the Lake Chad basin, with gum arabic and livestock dominant. Cultivation generally needs irrigation.
Where: Lake Chad margins — far-northern Borno and Yobe
Each country has its own farming belts, crops and ownership rules. Jump to another market to compare — more countries are being added.
Looking for a country not listed yet? Ask us — we cover farmland across Africa.
Cocoa remains Nigeria's top farm export, with sesame and cashew close behind and rising; rice is the largest agricultural import, a major domestic-production opportunity.
Nigeria's leading agricultural exports, first half of 2023 (₦ billion). Cocoa, sesame and cashew lead; total farm exports were about ₦560 billion. Source: Nigeria trade data (Nairametrics).
Nigeria does not use absolute freehold: land is vested in the State Governor and you hold a right of occupancy. A valid transfer needs the Governor's consent and a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O). Foreign investors most often acquire and hold farmland through a locally registered Nigerian company.
We model the right of occupancy, the company or lease structure and the numbers against your goal, and confirm exactly what you can hold before you commit.
Talk it throughA sample of arable and development land currently listed with African Land — we source, verify and structure the acquisition or lease for you.
Not as absolute freehold. You hold a right of occupancy under the Land Use Act, with the Governor's consent and a Certificate of Occupancy, and foreign investors usually hold through a Nigerian company. African Land structures the acquisition and verifies title. See the ownership checker for the full position.
It depends on the crop. Cocoa, oil palm and tree crops suit the humid southern forest; yam, grains, soya and cashew the Guinea Savanna middle belt; sorghum, millet, groundnut, sesame and cotton the Sudan Savanna north. Use the map to match land to crop.
Cocoa beans lead, followed closely by sesame seeds and cashew nuts, with soya beans and cut flowers also significant (2023 trade data). Rice is the largest agricultural import.
Both routes run through a right of occupancy. A long acquisition suits capital growth and tree crops; a lease or lease-back suits income without operating the farm. We model both against your goal.
Tell us the crop or the return you're after and we'll match it to the right region, find title-checked land, and structure the purchase or lease — end to end.
General information only, current to November 2026 — not legal, tax or agronomic advice; confirm the current position and take independent local advice before investing. Farmland values and income can fall as well as rise and your capital is at risk. Agro-ecological zone boundaries are indicative. Zone data from FAO, national agricultural and geography sources; export figures from national trade data / OEC. Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt mark the main urban markets.
