Sasakawa agriculture interventions transformed our livelihoods – Nasarawa smallholder farmers

Sasakawa agriculture interventions transformed our livelihoods – Nasarawa smallholder farmers

Smallholder farmers in rural communities of Nasarawa State have commended the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) for transforming their livelihoods through its agricultural interventions.

The farmers, mainly rice producers, gave the commendation during a two-day media field visit to communities in Lafia, Doma, and Obi Local Government Areas of the state on Sunday.

They said that the SAA’s programmes on regenerative, nutrition-sensitive, and market-oriented agriculture had exposed them to improved technologies, best agronomic practices, processing, and marketing techniques that boosted their yields and income.

Mr Yusuf Ekom, Chairman of Salama Oklo Cooperative Society, Alagye, Doma Local Government Area, said that they were trained on the production of “Bokashi” with rice husk to maintain soil health, and “Biochar”,  composite organic fertiliser from vegetable and kitchen wastes.

Ekom said  they also learnt best agronomic practices in rice production such as preparation of nursery beds and transplanting of rice in rows with specified spacing as against the usual practice of spraying their seeds.

“They also gave us improved rice seed -Faro 66, which yields better and faster than other varieties in the market.

“The intervention has changed my life and the lives of other members of the cooperative as we can now feed our families comfortably and train our children in school.

“You can imagine that I now harvest about 30 bags of rice from a plot of land that I used to harvest about 10 bags of rice before the intervention of Sasakawa in my community” he said.

Mrs Mary Daniel, Chairperson of Muyi Noma Women Cooperative in Sabon Gida Community, Lafia Local Government Area, said that through the training by SAA, members of the group now make enough money to feed their families, train their children in schools and assist orphans in the community.

“We were trained on production of Bokashi and Biochar, which we use in our farms and even sell to other farmers to make money.

“We sell a bag of Bokashi and Biochar at N20,000 and currently we have more than N300,000 in our account.

“Sasakawa also trained us on nutrition; how to grow and eat healthy food within our community. They supported us to cultivate pro-vitamin A maize, pumpkin, ginger and other vegetables, which we now eat with our families.

In Deddere Community, Obi Local Government Area, Salome Isaac and Mary Samuel, members of Kauna Cooperative Society, applauded the impact of SAA’s interventions and appealed for its extension to all parts of the state to boost food security.

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On his part, Mr Emmanuel Odeh, Chairman, Apashi Woza Cooperative, Assakio, Lafia Local Government Area, said that SAA had revolutionised farming and rice processing in the community.

According to him, rice farmers in Assakio and environs now throng the rice aggregation and processing centre provided by SAA to mill and process their rice paddy.

He explained that centre was equipped with modern rice processing equipments such as polisher, dehusker and colour sorter machines.

Odeh said that the centre produces almost a metric ton of rice per day and employed 67 labourers, thereby creating jobs and impacting several households income.

He said that the group had realised about N12 million from the centre within one year of its establishment.

In his remarks, Dr Godwin Atser, Country Director, SAA Nigeria, called for sustained collaboration with the Nasarawa State Government to enhance agricultural productivity, food security, and youth inclusion in the sector.

Atser commended the Gov. Abdullahi Sule and the Nasarawa State government for providing an enabling environment for agricultural development.

He noted that the association, with support from The Nippon Foundation of Japan, had implemented several impactful initiatives across farming communities in the state, including the rice aggregation and processing centres in Assakio and Agwatashi at the cost of over $ 1million U.S. Dollars.

According to him, the support has increased rice yield from 1.8 tonnes to 4.8 tonnes per hectare, representing over 100 per cent rise in productivity.

He said that the interventions, anchored on SAA’s 2021–2025 Strategic Plan, promote regenerative, market-oriented, and nutrition-sensitive agriculture aimed at improving productivity, resilience, and livelihoods.

Atser appealed to the state government to sustain and increase its counterpart funding to ensure continuity of ongoing projects and open new opportunities to strengthen extension systems and improve food security.

He reaffirmed SAA’s commitment to supporting Nasarawa’s vision for food and nutrition security, climate resilience, and youth empowerment in agriculture.

“Together, we can continue to build a resilient, food-secure, and prosperous Nasarawa State,” he said.

The country director  also lauded the beneficiaries of SAA’s rice value chain interventions for demonstrating competence, accountability, and innovation in managing resources provided to them.

“We are impressed that the equipment provided has been well maintained, and in some cases improved upon,” he said.

He urged the state government to replicate the model in other communities to create jobs.

“Agriculture remains the most viable path to tackle unemployment and foster sustainable economic growth,” he added.

Also speaking, Dr Habib Diso, Technical Coordinator, Monitoring and Evaluation at SAA, said the media field days, held close to the harvest season, was designed to enable journalists and stakeholders to assess the impact of SAA’s interventions firsthand.

“The exercise allows beneficiaries to testify about how our programmes have improved their livelihoods, while we use their feedback to improve our future plans,” he said.

He noted that the feedback mechanism helps SAA identify weaknesses and integrate lessons into its planning for the following year.

Diso also emphasised that SAA focuses on training, mentoring, and equipping farmers with technical knowledge in production, processing, and marketing.

Similarly, Mr Moses Nongoatse, SAA Communication Officer, said the association’s interventions aim to introduce technologies that enhance productivity and mitigate the effects of climate change.

“We are promoting climate-smart and high-yielding crop varieties that are drought-tolerant and disease-resistant,” he said.

He explained that SAA works closely with the Federal and State Ministries of Agriculture, as well as Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs), to implement its interventions using existing extension structures.

Nongoatse said that SAA is currently active in six local government areas of Nasarawa State; Doma, Lafia, Akwanga, Obi, Awe, and Keffi; with plans to expand further as counterpart funding agreements with the state government progressed.