Monty’s Farming Success in Nigeria Results in Invitation to Speak at the 2023 World Food Prize Foundation

Since 1998, Monty’s Plant Food Company has made improving soil quality and fertility a fundamental part of its mission. Today, more than 25 years of commitment to science, innovation, and patient development have created products and processes that are proven to regenerate and replenish soil.

Now the Monty’s name is becoming known worldwide for improving yields and fostering efficient, sustainable food production in places that truly need it. 

Nigeria is one such place which has long struggled with issues of agricultural productivity and food sufficiency. And these struggles are only becoming more urgent as Nigeria grows: in landmass, Nigeria is less than 10% of the size of the United States, but its population is on track to exceed the United States population by 2050.

Nigeria Launches a Plan to Change 

In early 2023, Nigerian President Bolu Tinubu’s administration announced a “state of emergency in food security.” This declaration was the government’s official step toward establishing a system of farming and food production practices that Nigeria needs to secure its future. ^[i]

Even before the announcement, Nigeria had begun an aggressive campaign to change its agriculture in many ways. It’s a campaign all of Africa, and the whole world, is watching. Among many other changes, Nigeria is officially utilizing Monty’s products, which were already producing improved yields on land once considered almost unusable for farming.

Partners For Nigeria’s Food Future

In partnership with the Nigerian Agricultural Ministry and Flour Mills of Nigeria (one of Nigeria’s largest food and agriculture enterprises), Monty’s representatives are working around the country on projects to help farmers survive drought, reclaim and revitalize soil, and ultimately, improve Nigeria’s food supply and self-sufficiency.  

In October 2023, a delegation of Nigerian representatives, including Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima and Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank, headed to the World Food Prize Foundation’s Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue in Des Moines, Iowa to talk about their initiative. Borlaug Dialogue attendees include representatives from the Gates Ag One Foundation, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the United States Department of Agriculture, and other groups actively working to solve hunger around the world.

The Nigerian delegation believed the agricultural work it is doing is important enough that the world needed to hear about it. 

Telling the Soil-Health Story on the World Stage

Monty’s CEO Jeff Sangalli – along with Chairman Dave McEwan – traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to present at the 2023 World Food Prize Foundation Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue. The organization awards what some call the “Nobel Prize of Agriculture.” The Norman E. Borlaug Dialogue brings together thought leaders, agricultural experts, government officials, farmers, and individuals from public and private sectors to discuss cutting-edge issues related to global food security and nutrition including sustainability, equity, and nourishment.

Monty’s CEO Jeff Sangalli and Chairman Dave McEwan meet Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank.

“It was such an honor to be invited to tell our soil story on the world stage,” says Sangalli. “We’ve known the importance of healthy soil since Day One, but it’s often overlooked, especially as agriculture has focused on the plant from the ground up.

“In fact, the exact definition of soil health is not completely defined nor understood by most agricultural scientists and food-security proponents. But healthy soil with strong microbial activity is fundamental to healthy plants, better yields, and soil that can survive the stresses of farming, weather, and environmental changes.”

Because of Monty’s significant successes in Nigeria, Sangalli was invited to present during the “Transforming the Agriculture Sector in Africa Through Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones” session in front of an audience including Sahle-Work Zewde, President of Ethiopia; Kashim Shetima, Vice President of Nigeria; Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank; representatives of the Gates Ag One Foundation; and other dignitaries from Africa and around the world. Sangalli outlined how healthy plants start with healthy soil and what soils need to be productive. 

Sangalli also discussed how Monty’s proprietary humic technology promotes microbial activity and supports the nutrients that are essential to plant health. Healthier soil also leads to nutrient efficiency – plants in such soils have higher nutrient uptake, with less nutrient loss into the environment, reducing runoff and resulting water pollution. 

Sangalli went on to talk about how these same principles for regenerating soil could apply to the remediation of the Niger Delta in Nigeria from oil hydrocarbon contamination, turning the toxic soil into productive agricultural farmland. 

Chairman Dave McEwan conversing with Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank.

Monty’s Worldwide Program

Restoring soil to arable, productive conditions is one of Monty’s major Nigerian projects, but Monty’s efforts aren’t limited to Nigeria. Farmers in over two dozen countries, including Asia, Central America, and South America are taking advantage of Monty’s agronomy consultants, custom programs, and products to improve yields, reduce costs, and improve return on investment no matter the size of the farm. To learn more about Monty’s international network, visit montysinternational.com.

Says Sangalli, “Food security is a global priority, and regenerative agriculture promises higher yields and more nutritious food. This is an incredible opportunity for us, not just as a business, but as advocates with a mission to educate more people about the importance of soil health.”

“These countries understand what we’re trying to accomplish … healthier soil, healthier farming, and increased food security in some of the least-stable food situations in the world … and The Borlaug Dialogue gave us the opportunity to explain the connection to others who are trying to solve the problem of world hunger.”

About Monty’s Plant Food Company Monty’s manufactures plant and soil enhancement products for the agriculture, home and garden, turf, hemp, and wildlife markets. By utilizing proprietary technology, Monty’s harnesses the power of our unique humics and combines them with traditional nutrients to develop innovative plant and soil solutions that are productive, eco­nomical, environmentally sound – maximizing yields. After more than twenty years, Monty’s retains its founder’s innovation, perseverance, and spirit as a leader in the field of humics, plant and soil health…. As trusted advisors to our customers.

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^{[i] “How Nigeria Can Improve Food Security,” by Sonny Iroche, Punch Newspaper, July 26, 2023.}