Smart Irrigation Systems for Enhanced Rice Farming Security in Northern Nigeria: Adoption and Economic Impacts

Recent climate changes in northern Nigeria have intensified water scarcity issues affecting rice farming. Rice is a staple food and an important export commodity for the region. A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews was employed to gather data from 200 randomly selected farmers in four major rice-producing states. Statistical models were used to analyse the relationship between smart irrigation system use and farmer income changes. Smart irrigation systems have been adopted by 65% of respondents, primarily driven by improved water efficiency (48%) and reduced labour costs (32%). The adoption of smart irrigation systems has led to significant economic benefits for northern Nigerian rice farmers, with an average income increase of $70 per hectare. Government subsidies should be provided to incentivize further adoption of these technologies and improve rural water infrastructure. smart irrigation, rice farming, economic impact, adoption rates The maintenance outcome was modelled as $Y_{it}=\beta_0+\beta_1X_{it}+u_i+\varepsilon_{it}$, with robustness checked using heteroskedasticity-consistent errors.