Horticurity – The Food Security for Resilient Communities Project

Horticurity: Food Security for Resilient Communities is a two year project funded by the Citi Foundation. The project works with smallholder horticulture producers, home gardeners, and fruit and vegetable vendors in 31 communities in Nigeria’s Delta and Kano states to improve food security, increase incomes, and strengthen community resilience to climate and economic shocks.

 

Context

Each year, millions of Nigerians face food insecurity during the lean season from June to August. In 2023 alone, an estimated 25 million people were at risk of acute hunger—a sharp increase from 17 million in 2022. Contributing factors include inflation, rising food prices, conflict, and climate-related events such as devastating floods, which in 2022 damaged more than 676,000 hectares of farmland.

Poor dietary diversity also remains a major public health concern. Nigeria carries 9% of the global burden of stunting, and nearly a quarter of Africa’s stunted and wasted children live in the country. Despite the importance of fruits and vegetables in nutrition, daily consumption remains below the recommended 400 grams, while inefficiencies cause approximately 50% of produce to be lost post-harvest. Reducing this loss could help feed an additional 24.7 million people—about 12% of the population—highlighting the vital need for interventions in the horticulture sector.

Opportunity

By combining innovative pilot activities with proven scalable solutions, the project increases the availability, affordability, and accessibility of nutritious foods—especially fruits and vegetables.

Through targeted interventions, TechnoServe works to increase smallholder farmers’ incomes and reduce their vulnerability to economic and climate shocks. The project also supports women and youth to play key roles across the horticulture value chain, creating more inclusive, resilient food systems.

Strategy

The project supports smallholder horticulture producers to improve yields, reduce post-harvest losses, adopt sustainable practices, and develop business skills. These efforts help farmers integrate into formal fruit and vegetable supply chains and increase their economic opportunities.

By training farmers and home gardeners, strengthening vendor businesses, and supporting youth and women-led enterprises, the project empowers communities to respond to market demands, improve household nutrition, and build long-term resilience. Capacity building, value chain linkages, and technical assistance are delivered through community-based approaches tailored to the needs of each target group.

Results to Date

Since 2023, the Horticurity project has achieved the following results:

• 3,611 clients impacted, 62% of them women
• 2,809 smallholder farmers trained (50%)
• 1,527 home gardeners reached (42%)
• 295 fruit and vegetable vendors supported (8%)
• 31 new agribusinesses established
• 226 jobs created
• 41% average increase in sales and income
• 40% of Self-Help Groups are women-led
• 2 women-led companies launched

Partners

Citi Foundation through CAF America