Kaduna: The Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) has launched a three-year agricultural project aimed at supporting 100,000 small-scale farmers in Kaduna and Niger states to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of maize and soybean crops.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the project is titled 'Enhancing the Productivity and Competitiveness of Maize and Soybean Value Chains in Niger and Kaduna States' and is funded by AGRA. It was inaugurated with an inception meeting in Kaduna State, bringing together partners, extension agents, farmers, and other relevant stakeholders from the two states.
SAA Country Director, Dr. Godwin Atser, highlighted that half of the targeted beneficiaries are women, with 40% being youths and 5% People With Disability (PWD). He explained that the project aims to boost food security and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers through sustainable practices and stronger market linkages. Dr. Atser stated, "Over the years, we have increased productivity in crops like maize and soybean, but many interventions were not sustainable after project withdrawal. This time, we are adopting a market systems approach that involves the private sector, so that farmers can access improved seeds, adopt better practices, and have guaranteed markets for their produce."
AGRA Programme Officer, Esther Ibrahim, identified challenges faced by smallholder farmers, including poor soil fertility, low yielding varieties of soybean and maize, inadequate access to finance, and weak supply chains. She explained that the project would strengthen extension and input systems, facilitate certified seed multiplication and distribution, and strengthen farmers' cooperatives. "Farmers have always been producing but we are here to see how we can strengthen that, and ensure they make more money from this venture which is no longer just farming as usual but a business," Ibrahim noted.
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture, Murtala Mohammed, emphasized the importance of enhancing the productivity and competitiveness of Nigerian farmers to ensure sustainable gains for both producers and consumers. He was represented by the Deputy Director at the ministry, Vasty Shamaki, who stated that improving farmers' output would benefit them and positively impact the wider economy.
Farmers at the event expressed their readiness for the project, eager to learn better farming techniques for maize and soybeans. Muhammad Ali from Niger hoped to learn how to address climate change impacts to improve productivity and add value to produce. Similarly, Idris Gambo, a Kaduna-based farmer, expressed his expectations to learn innovative farming techniques and share the training with other farmers.