PISA Hearts Foundation Launches Smart-Agro Initiative to Strengthen Local Food Systems Across Nigeria – markets.businessinsider.com

Report on the PISA Hearts Humanitarian Foundation’s Smart-Agro Innovation (SAI) Project

Introduction: Advancing Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria

The PISA Hearts Humanitarian Foundation has announced a significant expansion of its Smart-Agro Innovation (SAI) project, a community-focused initiative designed to address critical development challenges in Nigeria. The project directly aligns with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily focusing on SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The foundation is seeking $30 million in funding from global development partners and impact investors to scale the program, aiming to support 10,000 smallholder farmers and vulnerable households across six states by December 2026.

Addressing Nigeria’s Food Security Crisis in Line with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)

The Challenge to National Food Systems

Nigeria faces a projected severe food and nutrition insecurity crisis, with an estimated 30.6 million people at risk between June and August 2025. This situation is exacerbated by conflict, climate-related disruptions, and persistent inflation, posing a direct threat to the achievement of SDG 2. Smallholder cooperatives, which are responsible for over 70 percent of the nation’s food production, are fundamental to local food systems but suffer from chronic underinvestment, hindering their capacity to ensure food security and build resilient agricultural practices.

The Smart-Agro Innovation (SAI) Project: An Integrated Strategy for the SDGs

A Comprehensive Support Framework

The SAI project is a holistic model designed to fuse agriculture, technology, and human capital development. It provides a comprehensive support compact that contributes to multiple SDGs:

• SDG 1 (No Poverty) & SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): The project provides access to finance, digital financial inclusion, and market linkage structures to create pathways out of poverty and foster rural enterprise.
• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) & SDG 13 (Climate Action): It delivers modern agronomic training, climate resilience strategies, and capacity building in climate-smart agriculture to improve food production sustainably.
• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The initiative includes family primary healthcare coverage, recognizing the intrinsic link between health and economic productivity.
• SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): The project actively engages in smart-agriculture policy advocacy to create an enabling environment for sustainable development.

Core Strategic Pillars

The foundation’s model is built on a three-pronged approach designed for scalability, accountability, and community ownership, ensuring long-term progress toward the SDGs:

1. Financial Inclusion: Establishing grant and loan systems for cooperative members to empower them economically (SDG 1, SDG 8).
2. Capacity Building: Strengthening cooperative leadership and implementing training in climate-smart agriculture to enhance resilience and productivity (SDG 2, SDG 13).
3. Market Linkages: Connecting rural farmers to processors, aggregators, and off-takers to build resilient value chains and ensure stable incomes (SDG 2, SDG 8).

A Call for Global Partnership Under SDG 17

Investment Opportunity for High-Impact SDG Achievement

The SAI project presents a compelling opportunity for philanthropic organizations, social-impact funds, and global development partners to invest in a program with measurable SDG outcomes. The model offers a unique blend of benefits aligned with global development priorities:

• High-Impact Scalability: Targeting cooperative clusters creates immediate multiplier effects, strengthening entire communities.
• Sustainability: Building capacity and promoting financial inclusion empowers cooperatives to become self-reliant, ensuring the longevity of the impact.
• Policy Influence: Working through organized cooperatives facilitates structured dialogue with state governments, contributing to systemic change.
• Measurable Impact: The foundation offers detailed project blueprints, impact monitoring frameworks, and customizable partnership models aligned with donor priorities.

PISA is inviting partners to co-sponsor an expanded pilot in states including Delta, Nasarawa, Ondo, and Kaduna. This collaboration is positioned not merely as a charitable endeavor but as a strategic investment in nation-building and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDG 1: No Poverty

• The article directly addresses poverty by stating the foundation’s vision is to “restore dignity to rural households… and create a pathway out of poverty.” The project targets “vulnerable families” and aims to build their resilience through financial inclusion and capacity building.

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

• This is the central theme of the article. It highlights the projected “severe food and nutrition insecurity” in Nigeria, affecting 30.6 million people. The Smart-Agro Innovation (SAI) project is designed to combat this by strengthening smallholder cooperatives, which produce over 70% of the nation’s food, thereby aiming to “build food security from the ground up.”

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The project’s comprehensive support package explicitly includes “Family primary healthcare coverage” for the 10,000 smallholder farmers and vulnerable households it aims to reach.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• The initiative supports rural enterprise by strengthening cooperatives. It focuses on economic empowerment through “Access to finance and digital financial inclusion,” “Market linkage and aggregation structures,” and providing “grant and loan systems” to improve the economic standing of farmers.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• The article mentions that “climate-driven weather disruptions” are a key challenge. The SAI project directly addresses this by offering “Climate resilience strategies” and “Capacity building in climate-smart agriculture” to help farmers adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• The entire article is a call for partnership. The PISA Hearts Humanitarian Foundation is actively seeking “$30 million in funding from global development partners and impact investors” and is inviting “global organizations to co-sponsor an expanded pilot.” This demonstrates a clear effort to build multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve development goals.

Identified SDG Targets

SDG 1: No Poverty

1. Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services. The project provides access to finance, healthcare, and training.
2. Target 1.5: By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events. The project’s focus on “Climate resilience strategies” directly supports this.

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

1. Target 2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round. The project’s core mission is to address the projected food insecurity crisis.
2. Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers. The initiative aims to achieve this by providing training, finance, and market access to smallholder farmers.
3. Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices. The inclusion of “climate-smart agriculture” and “resilience systems” aligns with this target.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

1. Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection and access to quality essential health-care services. The project component of “Family primary healthcare coverage” is a direct contribution.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

1. Target 8.10: Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all. The project’s emphasis on “digital financial inclusion” and “grant and loan systems” for cooperative members supports this target.

SDG 13: Climate Action

1. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The project directly implements this through its “Climate resilience strategies.”

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

1. Target 17.3: Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources. The foundation’s public call for “$30 million in funding” from global partners is a clear example of this target in action.

Mentioned or Implied Indicators

Explicit Indicators

• Number of beneficiaries reached: The project has a clear goal to “reach 10,000 smallholder farmers and vulnerable families by December 2026.”
• Amount of funding mobilized: The article specifies a funding target of “$30 million.” The amount raised would be a key performance indicator.
• Geographic expansion: The plan to “scale the program across six states” is a measurable indicator of the project’s reach.

Implied Indicators

• Number of farmers trained: The provision of “Modern agronomic training” and “capacity building” implies that the number of participants trained will be tracked.
• Number of households with healthcare access: The inclusion of “Family primary healthcare coverage” suggests the number of families enrolled would be measured.
• Increase in food production/yields: A primary goal is to “improve food production,” implying that changes in agricultural output would be monitored.
• Increase in farmer income: The aim to “create a pathway out of poverty” and provide “market linkages” suggests that the income levels of participating farmers would be an indicator of success.
• Number of cooperatives strengthened: As the model focuses on working with “organized groups,” the number of cooperatives engaged and their improved operational capacity would be a key metric.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

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