What can we do with data on the locations of markets across Nigeria to better connect the food system?

This is a question Palatehub has been exploring with The Olympus Consciousness Initiative (TOCI) over the last quarter.

For a producer, processor, buyer or logistics provider, knowing where markets are can open up further questions: Which markets might serve a production area? Where could a business investigate new sources of supply? How do markets connect to the communities around them?

These questions show why market-location data deserves attention. It provides a foundation for understanding the places where food, people and commercial activity meet.

Recognizing the foundation GRID3 has provided

Through its geospatial work in Nigeria, GRID3 has made valuable information about people, settlements and infrastructure available for planning and analysis. The GRID3 NGA Markets dataset is part of that contribution, providing mapped market locations that others can explore and build upon.

Making this information accessible is an important achievement. It gives businesses, researchers and development organisations a shared starting point for examining Nigeria’s market landscape.

The value extends beyond the individual locations. When market data is brought together with information about production, transport, population and trading activity, it can help people see relationships that would otherwise be difficult to examine.

At Palatehub, we see an opportunity to turn that foundation into practical tools for connecting the food system.

Helping producers and buyers explore their options

A producer considering where to sell may know a few familiar markets while having limited visibility of alternatives. A processor seeking raw materials may face a similar challenge from the other side.

A searchable market directory could help users identify locations worth investigating. Over time, adding verified information about the products traded, operating days and people involved could make that directory more useful.

This could support a clearer journey from finding a market to understanding whether it meets a particular need.

Understanding what moves through each market

Location data also provides a structure around which product information can be gathered.

What commodities are sold in a market? Where are they produced? Are supplies seasonal? Who are the producers, traders and other businesses involved?

Answering these questions could help build profiles of markets and their connections to production areas. For food businesses, such profiles could support sourcing and sales decisions. For researchers and associations, they could offer a better understanding of how trading networks function.

This additional knowledge would require investigation, participation and verification. The mapped locations provide the starting framework for that work.

Planning how food reaches the market

Combining market locations with suitable road, travel-time and logistics data could help businesses examine how products move between production areas and trading destinations.

Possible applications include identifying collection points, exploring delivery routes and comparing the accessibility of different markets. With further information about volumes and existing services, the same foundation could support decisions about storage, processing and distribution facilities.

The practical question is straightforward: Where would a service or facility help people move and retain more value?

Building better market intelligence

Market locations could also give commodity-price reporting a clearer geographic structure.

Prices become more useful when users know the market, date, product grade and unit to which they refer. Consistently collected observations could help businesses examine differences between locations and changes over time.

Such a system would need reliable reporting and careful comparison. Location data offers a way to organise those observations and relate them to the markets where trade takes place.

Supporting associations and public planning

Market associations, chambers of commerce and public institutions could use market-location data to organise engagement, identify areas for further research and examine the distribution of trading infrastructure.

Combined with population and accessibility information, it could help frame questions about which communities are well served and which may face difficulties reaching markets.

It could also provide a common reference for discussions between businesses, communities and institutions—helping them focus on specific places and practical needs.

From a useful dataset to useful connections

These possibilities are what make GRID3’s contribution so valuable. A shared data foundation allows different organizations to investigate problems, build tools and contribute further knowledge.

Palatehub and TOCI’s exploration begins with making market locations easier to find and understand. The next step is to investigate what is sold or produced in those markets and who the producers are.

For Palatehub, this work connects directly to our purpose: Connecting the Food System. Better information can help people identify opportunities, ask more informed questions and build relationships between production, value addition and markets.

The possibilities will take shape through the experience of the people who use, supply and work in these markets. Their knowledge is essential to turning locations into useful market information.

If you would like to know more or work on this project with us, follow Palatehub on LinkedIn, Facebook and X. We will share our progress and opportunities to contribute as the work develops.

The agricultural sector in Nigeria is dominated by women who have faced numerous challenges over the years in primary and secondary production. One of the major issues they face is the lack of farm machinery and support, which limits the area of land they can cultivate. The cost of land preparation accounts for as much as 60% of the entire cost of cultivation, meaning that women are limited to only cleared areas. This has led to the formation of clusters based on available resources that thrive in a particular region. Women in these clusters work from cultivation to value addition, processing various end products.

Unfortunately, many of these women still use old-fashioned methods, which expose them to health hazards. The She Farmers Initiative (SFI) is a global initiative for African women, established in Nigeria on June 8th, 2021, to provide and advocate for women in the agricultural sector for food sustainability. SFI seeks to create an enabling environment for female agri-entrepreneurs to thrive in Africa. Their mission is to provide support for improved agricultural business, adequate infrastructure support for rural women farmers, promote education, technology, and financial inclusion for women in the agricultural business, improve agricultural processing through advanced technology and world best practice, transform women from the informal to the formal sector, create a market for agro-commodities and reduce post-harvest losses, and provide financial inclusion and literacy for women in the agricultural sector.

In line with its mission to promote sustainable agriculture, Palatehub is proud to partner with SFI as part of its “Grow and Replicate Agro Communities” initiative. At Palatehub, we believe that sustainable agriculture is not just about profits but also about building strong communities. As such, our capacity-building services are tailored to the specific needs of each community, association, or cooperative they work with. We facilitate knowledge sharing among farmers and provide continuous support to ensure they have the tools and resources needed to succeed. Our market access services provide analysis, networking, and supply chain optimization, enabling farmers to connect with buyers, distributors, and other stakeholders in the industry. Contact Palatehub today to learn more about how they can help you build a sustainable future for your community.

SFI will be inaugurating its Ekiti State chapter on the 11th of May 2023, and Palatehub is proud to be a partner of SFI in its efforts to empower women in the agricultural sector.

On the 11th of November, 2022, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigerian (SMEDAN) in collaboration with Palatehub and the International Chamber of Commerce Nigeria – Centre of Entrepreneurship (ICC-CoE), organized a stakeholder workshop / inception meeting to kick-start a poultry sector mapping project in Lagos, Nigeria.

The project is in line with the mandate of SMEDAN to stimulate, monitor and coordinate the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria. The mapping of the poultry sector in Lagos, Nigeria will provide real time data to ensure more effective advocacy and business development services to resolve the challenges impeding the growth of the sector.

In addition to SMEDAN, Palatehub, and ICC-CoE, other stakeholders present at the meeting were from the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, the Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperative, the Poultry Association of Nigeria and Big Dutchman Nigeria.

During the meeting, Stakeholders expressed the urgent need for real time data on the poultry sector for policy design and implementation especially in the areas of job creation and public health. Although there were concerns expressed with regards to the scope of the project, the general consensus was to proceed with a pilot project on a public-private-partnership basis.

ICC-CoE, represented by Mrs. Bunmi Osuntuyi, the Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce Nigeria, expressed support for the project. She explained that the objective of the ICC-CoE is to inspire future entrepreneurs; digitize SMEs; scale up startups; and foster inclusive entrepreneurship.

To conclude the meeting, Stakeholders agreed that SMEDAN and Palatehub will develop a workplan and convene a second meeting of stakeholders to launch to data-gathering aspects of the project.

In a drastic effort to provide access to improved seeds and seedlings, machinery, and training for rural or smallholder farmers; Zowasel, represented by Mrs. Priscilla Charles Udoh was in Okobo Local Government Area to sensitize women farmers in Okobo on available opportunities for #cassava farmers #pepper farmers, #tomatoes farmers #yam farmers and #oilpalm farming.

The project which is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 5: Women Empowerment and Gender Equality was also facilitated and supported by the Uyo Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (UYOCCIMA) and Palatehub.

Addressing the farmers, the field representative of Zowasel, Mrs. Priscilla Charles Udoh explained that Smallholder farmers in Akwa Ibom State are yet to significantly increase their yield per hectare, as the State still records the lowest among its peers.This she said has happened despite the enormous potential in Akwa Ibom’s agricultural sector.

She pointed out that Smallholder farmers have limited access to improved seeds and seedlings, machinery, and training. As a result, farm yields and farmers’ income has remained perpetually low, thus making the sector unattractive to the younger population.

Over 150 women drawn from across the ten political wards in Okobo attended the training and expressed their willingness to participate in the practical training which will commence soon.

Victor Paul Unoh | First Media NaijaTV | Uyo
victorunoh@gmail.com