Across Nigeria, two challenges continue to grow side by side: increasing volumes of agricultural waste and rising food production costs.

Every day, tonnes of organic waste from livestock farms, fish ponds, food processing activities, and crop production systems are discarded with little consideration for their economic value. At the same time, farmers struggle with the rising cost of fertilizers and other critical inputs needed to sustain production.

What if the solution to one challenge could help solve the other?

This question sits at the heart of the City Waste for Increased Food and Wealth (CiWaCiWe) project.

Through CiWaCiWe, The Africa Projects Development Centre and its partners are training youth and women innovators to transform organic waste into nutrient-rich liquid fertilizers and inputs for hydroponic and bioponic farming systems.

The results?

• Reduced dependence on expensive synthetic fertilizers
• Less agricultural pollution in communities
• New business opportunities in waste collection, processing, and distribution
• A replicable model for circular, climate-smart agriculture

As Africa confronts food insecurity and climate change, the answer may lie in effective utilization of waste for improved production.

Waste can become wealth. Pollution can become productivity.

CiWaCiWe is proving it.