What to know about benefitting from APPEALS as a farmer

The Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support – (APPEALS) Project started in 2018 and expected to close by September 2023, after a six-year period.

Developed by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) in collaboration with the World Bank and other stakeholders, it currently has six participating states; Cross River, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, and Lagos. Depending on overall project performance and funding availability, the project may expand and cover additional states.

The Project has eleven priority value chains: Cassava, Rice, Wheat, Cocoa, Ginger, Poultry, Aquaculture, Dairy, Maize, Cashew and Tomato. The value chains were selected from the priority value chains of the Federal Government’s Agriculture Promotion Policy (2016 – 2020), also known as the ‘Green Alternative’.

The project aims at supporting the transition of small subsistence farmers’ production system farming (1-5 hectares) to a market-oriented agricultural undertaking and supporting middle-size farmers (5-10 hectares) to address constraints facing them and enhancing their productivity as well as effective participation in the Value Chains.

The project aims to scale up the Business Alliance Model, successfully implemented under the Commercial Agriculture Development Project (CADP).

The number of the project’s direct beneficiaries is estimated at 60,000 individuals on the basis of 10,000 beneficiaries per state, and 300,000 farm household members as indirect beneficiaries. It is anticipated that 35 percent of direct beneficiaries or (21,000 individuals) will be women.

The project has a dedicated sub-component to benefit women and youth to allow them develop Agric businesses that are expected to create jobs and improve their livelihoods.

According to APPEALS, the beneficiaries do not have to pay to participate in the project, and all Nigerians resident in the focus states can benefit, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.

It should be noted that according to the project document reviewed by Agribusiness Insight, there will be no handing out of cash directly to beneficiaries. However, the project is providing technical support in terms of training for skill acquisition and empowerment along the priority value chains to support farmers’ productivity, value addition and linkage to markets.