BATNF: Enhancing wealth creation across the cassava value chain in rural communities

Agriculture has been described as critical to economic development and employment, especially in developing countries and Nigeria is currently regarded as the largest producer of cassava in the world.

A recent report on cassava production estimates that the country’s output in cassava production almost doubles that of Indonesia and Thailand put together, and a third more than that of Brazil. That is why the present administration, following the footsteps of its predecessor, has continued to harp on the need to diversify the economy in order to turn-around the nation’s fortunes through agriculture.

Committed to the advancement of agriculture, especially in rural communities across Nigeria, British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF), in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), initiated a programme: Cassava Enterprise Value-Chain Development Project, aimed at empowering smallholder farmers in the rural communities across Nigeria. One of such communities is Otu in Itesiwaju Local Council of Oyo State. To support this, BATNF distributed agricultural support inputs including, improved varieties of cassava stem, fertiliser, herbicides, pesticides, knapsack sprayers, among others.

The Guardian, during a tour of some of the farms in Oyo State, observed that the foundation, through one of its agricultural interventions, is currently enhancing the capacity of smallholder farmers in rural communities across Nigeria, by encouraging farmers to initiate cooperative and agro-enterprise associations to participate in innovative economic activities, whilst adopting renewable and energy-efficient technology, and implement practices that are climate adaptive and protective of soil health through trainings.

It also provides periodic trainings on best agronomic practices to smallholder farmers through IITA and inputs were also provided. This is to drive a prospective increase in production and income of the farmers, especially the women, in order to improve the standard of living of beneficiaries and this has been achieved.

As a rule, BATNF, before its intervention in any rural community, communicates its initial requirements to all intending farmers. This presents the qualification guidelines, which include working full time in agriculture and growing one of its mandate crops such as cassava, maize, rice, vegetables etc at subsistence level.  Notably, this is aimed at supporting rural communities to enhance their agricultural yield. Another key requirement is that the farmers must be cohesive, that is, they must belong to a cooperative society of about 30 members.

The overall objective here is to enable them pool their interests together as a group. These interests include applying for loans in banks, buying of inputs directly, access to the market, or supporting them in areas where they require government support, among others. And that was exactly what happened in Otu community when the Foundation intervened in 2014. The initial success of the initiative triggered the interest of the farmers who solicited for membership in the cooperation. This has increased the number of the beneficiaries in Otu scaling up to 46 from the benchmark of 30 members in the 2014/2015 growing season.

Describing the intervention as a laudable initiative, the Project Supervisor, BATNF/IITA Cassava Enterprise Value-chain Development Project, Otu community, Olatunde Ogunsanya, commended the Foundation for supporting smallholder farmers in rural communities, and expressed optimism in the intervention, as key to driving employment and development in the state.

He said: “The support extended to the beneficiaries in Otu Community has yielded positive result, thereby giving incentives to commercial production, substantial harvest, eradication of drudgery and physical stress associated with farming with traditional tools without yield boosters.”

He further explained that the intervention in Otu Community is a three-cycle project, which started in 2014 and would elapse in 2017, adding that the Foundation will support the farmers for each year-cycle, by preparing their lands for cultivation, giving them inputs such as, improved cassava stems, fertilizer and chemicals-herbicides and pesticides-for control of growing weeds and pests.

Speaking on behalf of the farmers, Chairman of the BATNF/IITA Cassava Enterprise Value-chain Development Project Farmers’ Cooperative, Sunday Ajao, said the intervention is a good one, adding that words cannot express the joy and excitement of the beneficiaries, who had to contend with myriad of farming challenges before the intervention by the Foundation.

Ajao said, before BATNF intervention, farming, though lucrative, was not encouraging as most farmers did not have the financial wherewithal to combat farming challenges. But now, we have learnt better ways of cultivating on a large expanse of land, which BATNF, in partnership with IITA, enables us to prepare.

“The varieties of cassava stem given to the farmers are those that take between nine months and one year to be harvested. These include, TMS 572, TMS 419, TMS 581, which the farmers, in order to identify easily, gave local names such as Arobielu, Oko-Iyawo, Odongbo. Unlike the untreated natural stems, these varieties of stems are good for consumption, rich in starch, and meet international market standards.”

To make the project sustainable, BATNF ensures that each farmer cultivates at least one hectare of cassava farmland, which is ascertained with a GPS machine provided by IITA. At the end of farming season, each farmer earns about N500, 000. And for people in a rural community such as Otu, this income is quite significant.

This intervention has transformed the businesses as well as the welfare of the beneficiaries in Otu, Ago-Are and Igboho areas of Oke Ogun in Oyo State. Although the farmers understand the potentials of cultivating cassava, achieving this was a tough challenge until the Foundation intervened through the Cassava Enterprise Value-chain Development Project.

From what was gathered during the tour, the farmers, who operate hitherto at a subsistence level, are now owners of hectares of farmlands and employers of labour who work on the farmlands to enable them, meet the increasing market needs. This transformation that is currently being witnessed by the farmers may not have been possible without the full technical support of IITA. There are currently about 150 beneficiaries of the BATNF/IITA Cassava Enterprise Value-chain Development Project intervention in the Oke-Ogun area of Oyo state. Cumulatively, there are about 200 hectares of the farmlands available to farmers in those communities.

Interestingly, the fortunes of the beneficiaries have improved greatly as the farmers do not only rely on the sale of cassava; they also sell starch from cassava to companies that require it in commercial quantities. The fruit of the root is also sold to companies for industrial use. The beneficiaries now have streams of income, thereby raking in more revenue at every given point across the value chain. Also, the Foundation helps them in facilitating this process which is not only limited to the local market, but also enabling access to major commercial markets and processing companies that require cassava in large volumes. So, all that is required of the farmers is to harvest and sell their produce.

For Mrs. Victoria Ojumola, one of the six female beneficiaries, the intervention is a worthy one, as it will move them from subsistence farming to commercial level given the training received. “I am very pleased with what BATNF is doing in our community. Words cannot express the joy and excitement that I feel right now and I believe this is exactly how other beneficiaries feel. We hope what the Foundation does will continue so that this opportunity can be extended to more women in other communities who are still struggling with the challenges of farming,” she said.

“We also urge other not-for-profit organisations to emulate what BATNF is currently doing in Oyo State, by instituting projects that will further transform the lives and businesses of thousands of rural farmers who need similar interventions in rural communities across Nigeria.”