The Federal Government of Nigeria, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has provided farming inputs to over 121,000 smallholder farmers across nine states. This initiative is part of ongoing efforts to enhance food security and improve the livelihoods of rural communities in the benefiting states.

Fatima Aliyu, the National Programme Coordinator of the FGN/IFAD Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), announced this during the 11th supervision mission held in Lafia, Nasarawa State, on Thursday. The programme focuses on sustainable production, processing, and marketing of rice, cassava, and other crops, with the aim of transforming the lives of smallholder farmers.

Aliyu identified the nine benefiting states as Nasarawa, Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Ogun, Niger, Taraba, Kogi, and Enugu. She emphasized that the initiative aims to create job opportunities for women and youths, thereby increasing the incomes of poor rural households.

“The main objective of the VCDP is to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in our benefiting states. Today, we have visited our project sites and assessed the projects being managed by the farmers,” Aliyu said. She also highlighted the establishment of a Rice Innovation Centre for rice processing in the Ashangwa community of Lafia Local Government Area, and an aggregation centre to address the storage of farm produce as key projects under the programme.

Aliyu explained that farmer groups and cooperatives, who benefit from the programme, contribute 30 percent of the total cost of equipment for rice and cassava processing. This contribution is designed to foster a sense of ownership among the farmers.

“We give priority to women and youth. We are happy that many of them are now employers of labour, creating wealth, and contributing to societal growth,” she added.

Kush Kukwi, Director of the Project Coordinating Unit at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, praised the level of project implementation in Nasarawa State. He urged the beneficiaries to sustain the production, processing, and marketing efforts in the rice and cassava value chains, even after the programme concludes.

“The visit to the state is positive because we have witnessed the rice processing centre and other facilities put in place to improve the livelihoods of rural farmers. I commend the VCDP for its efforts to better the lives of farmers in Nasarawa State and other parts of the country,” Kukwi said.

Eunice Adgidzi, Nasarawa State Programme Coordinator of the VCDP, noted that the programme has been active in the state since July 2020, focusing on communities in Lafia, Doma, Wamba, Nasarawa, and Karu Local Government Areas. She stated that the VCDP has supported 4,023 farmers engaged in rice and cassava value chains, including 1,370 youths.

One of the beneficiaries, Bitrus Alaku, expressed gratitude to the FGN and IFAD for their continuous support, noting that the VCDP has significantly reduced poverty and boosted food security in his community.