AGRA to Empower 300,000 Smallholder Farmers in Kaduna State

To increase Nigerian farmers’ productivity and build climate resilience, the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), has disclosed a capacity building programme for 300,000 smallholder farmers in Kaduna State.

Speaking at the launch of the training programme in Kaduna, AGRA Progrmme Officer in the state, Dr Esther Ibrahim, said the programme aims to transform the food system in Africa, particularly those faced with serious climate change challenges like Nigeria. Ibrahim noted the project would support 300,000 Kaduna farmers in the crop value chain, especially maize, soybeans and tomatoes, by strengthening their enterprising skills and market participation.

Explaining she said, “The project is a consortium with other critical stakeholders along the value chain to provide expertise, market, finance and extension support.The overall aim is to ensure that Africa is able to feed itself with quality food.”

 According to her, AGRA relied on the performance of the Kaduna Government partnership with other organisations such as ‘Tomato Jos’ to create an enabling market for the produce.

On his part, Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture, Malam Ibrahim Husein, said the development would favour the state’s agricultural production, adding that the state government has invited investors in agro-allied industries to boost agricultural development.

“Some investors have constructed fertiliser blending plants in the state and carried out 35,000 soil tests suitable for different crops and produce maps for different value chains,” he noted.

Also, Husein described the AGRA programme as timely, following the Russian-Ukraine war that affected global grain production, especially wheat, saying Kaduna state has commenced actions to bridge the grain deficit in Nigeria.

Agro Nigeria