The Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), in this report captured by Ruth Tene Natsa, has shown that strategic investments and partnerships in agriculture with states can help address the various challenges faced by smallholder farmers to achieve food security in Nigeria and, ultimately, Africa.
SAA at the recently concluded High-Level Workshop on Agricultural Transformation and What Works: Reflections from the Crop Value Chain of the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP), chaired by former President Olusegun Obasanjo (represented by Vitalis Ortese), shared its successful intervention in agriculture in Kano State, which was held from Monday, October 7-Tuesday, October 8, 2024, in Kano State.
“The scorecard recorded over 100 percent yield increases in the target crops and promoted post-harvest loss reduction technologies and nutrition-sensitive agriculture through grain enterprises, vegetable value chains, access to mechanisation, and service providers.”
Presenting their scorecard at the event, SAA informed that following the implementation of the crop value chain, a sub-component of KSADP under a $21.31 million sub-grant, they were able to provide technical support to the government’s extension efforts of enhancing agricultural productivity and competitiveness through access to inputs, value addition, e-extension service delivery, agribusiness development, post-harvest operation, and market access, among others.
SAA targeted 450,000 farmers across the 44 local government areas active in various agricultural value chains, including rice, maize, sorghum, and millet, standing on the operational pillars of regenerative agriculture, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and market-oriented agriculture.
“However, the potential of agriculture has not been fully harnessed. Therefore, there is a need for more investments in the sector.”
The scorecard recorded over 100 percent yield increases in the target crops and promoted post-harvest loss reduction technologies and nutrition-sensitive agriculture through grain enterprises, vegetable value chains, access to mechanisation, and service providers.
Presenting his remarks at the event, Amit Roy, chair of the Sasakawa Africa Association, said, “In Nigeria, the Sasakawa Africa Association’s journey has been one of growth and transformation. It underscores the importance of working alongside farmers, learning from them, and adapting our approaches to meet their evolving needs.
He said, “The KSADP is a shining example of how partnerships between governments, international organisations, and technical experts can lead to sustainable change, adding that SAA remains committed to playing a key role in these partnerships, fostering innovation and resilience in agriculture using new technologies.
“The KSADP, a collaboration between the Islamic Development Bank, Lives and Livelihoods Fund, and the Kano State Government, is a five-year project focused on developing resilient agro-pastoral systems,” he said.
“The project has already achieved significant milestones, and SAA is proud to be a technical partner in implementing its crop value chain component, contributing to the enhancement of agricultural productivity. The project addresses issues related to low agricultural productivity and the challenges posed by poor soils and climate change.
But beyond the specifics of this project, SAA has embodied the spirit of perseverance—the belief that no challenge is too great if met with determination and collaboration. This “Never give up” that has been the spirit since the inception in 1986 of the Sasakawa Africa Association has driven our work with the belief that collective action can indeed achieve an African Green Revolution.”
The Chair added that SAA’s principle of “never give up” has been the driving force behind their success in Africa. The Nippon Foundation, which has been a key architect in the establishment of the Sasakawa Africa Association, continues to share this same determination and will continue to stand by SAA, supporting its mission with the same spirit of persistence and collaboration.”
Also speaking, Godwin Atser, country director of the association, said the goal of the project is to develop agro-pastoral production systems in the state.
“The KSADP was conceived to address the dwindling fortunes of agriculture. The project has made significant strides in enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of cereals and vegetables under the crops value chain component in Kano State, thereby positively impacting the agricultural sector and the livelihoods of farmers in the state.
For instance, the KSADP project: Recorded spectacular yield increases (over 100 percent increase) on all targeted commodities (rice, maize, sorghum, and millet): About 854 frontline extension personnel have received training on various aspects of the value chain and were equipped with 220 motorcycles and 380 tablets for data collection and provided with monthly stipends. The project had established and supported 5,348 clusters with capacity building and inputs for grain and vegetable production enhancement and 1,237 clusters to strengthen the seed system. Established 54 agro-processing centres, 3 parabolic vegetable solar drying centres, and 23 onion solar drying facilities, among others.
The workshop, which had two hundred and thirty-five (235) participants, discussed the status of agriculture in Africa with a focus on Nigeria and Kano State and made the following observations and resolutions: agriculture is pivotal to Africa’s development considering that the sector employs more than 70 percent of people in the rural areas and contributes to improved livelihoods and prosperity. However, the potential of agriculture has not been fully harnessed. Therefore, there is a need for more investments in the sector.
Read also: AfDB, Sasakawa Africa train rice farmers on improved yields, soil fertility
The workshop appreciated the efforts of the Kano State government, KNARDA, Sasakawa, and the Islamic Development Bank in transforming agriculture in the state. Participants noted with interest the level of achievement of the KSADP in empowering beneficiaries, especially with knowledge, skills, and production tools and inputs; all of these led to raising productivity and incomes of the beneficiaries.
The participants said they had seen commitment and high-level coordination between and among the implementing partners and project components resulting in positive achievements, and therefore, this can be replicated in other geographies for Nigerian and African agricultural development.
Stakeholders acknowledged and applauded the Kano State Government, the KSADP, and the SAA for procuring, launching, and flagging off the distribution of tools and equipment that are envisaged to mechanise smallholder agricultural production activities and expect this support equipment to reach intended beneficiaries in the next two weeks.
Stakeholders, however, noted with concern the glaring challenges of climate change on agriculture and therefore emphasised the need for expanding the adoption of climate-resilient crops and technologies to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.
The meeting noted the perennial problems of smallholder access to credits and thus called for innovative financing models tailored to smallholder farmers, including microcredit schemes and agricultural insurance to boost farmers’ financial resilience.
The summit further noted the importance of basic infrastructure to the advancement of agriculture, though the current situation of rural infrastructure is anything but satisfactory. Thus, the meeting emphasised a critical need for more investments in rural infrastructure such as irrigation systems, roads, and storage facilities to support agricultural transformation and reduce post-harvest losses.
Value addition to primary products was noted to generate additional benefits to the primary value chain actors. The participants appreciated the efforts of the KSADP in its efforts to expose beneficiaries to value-adding enterprises and therefore highlighted the importance of encouraging more local agro-processing industries to create jobs and increase income for farmers.
It was recommended that the private sector play a more active role in driving agricultural innovation and investment, particularly in areas like input supply, mechanisation, and market development.
The participants, among other recommendations, expressed the need to leverage the existing funding windows available with the ISDB, and on this, the submit agrees to ensure sustained partnership in supporting the intending participating states and nations to key into the funding opportunities existing in the Islamic Development Bank.
The event was concluded with a flag-off of mechanisation support for the KSADP, which included 12 combined harvesters, smart (solar-powered) irrigation pumps, high jet vans for transportation to enable farmers to move produce from villages to the markets, and the distribution of welding and fabrication kits, among others.
The summit ended with a field trip to the project’s cluster farms.
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