Kano empowers 5,500 peasant farmers to boost food security

Kano State government has empowered 5,500 smallholder farmers with post harvest mechanisation input to boost food security in the state.

Unveiling the distribution of agricultural pre and post-harvest mechanisation and extension services support yesterday, Kano State Deputy Governor, Nasir Yusif Gawuna, disclosed that the intervention is part of efforts to migrate peasant agricultural production to mechanise farming.

The items worth millions of naira was deployed under the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) – Sasakawa Africa Association Crop Value Chain Intervention to farmers.

The items presented to the targeted farmers include 5, 500 smallholder farmers, through their 220 groups, include 244 water pumps, 140 simple planters, 97 rice trans planters, 9 rice mills, 9 destoners, 9 Hammer mills, 9 maize hullers, 9 power tillers, 15 maize shellers, 45 sets of parboiling kits and 6 rice threshers.

Also made available to beneficiaries were 110 brand new motorcycles essentially to KSADP’s Extension Agents, to facilitate dissemination of information, education and improved technologies at the right time to the farmers’ door steps across the intervention communities.

Gawuna, who doubled as Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Kano, said the initiative is intended to proactively improve agriculture in the state through mechanisation and provision of extension services support to the teeming farmers.

“The core objective of this gesture is to encourage large scale food production in neighbouring clusters, towards achieving food security and increased income for the smallholder farmers in the state, which remains a top priority of this government,” he said.

While expressing satisfaction with the KSADP-SAA technical cooperation, the deputy governor maintained that “if this type of partnership can be sustained, the result would be a more effective approach of delivering new, simple and cost-effective technologies and extension programs to serve the needs of all groups of farmers in the state.”

Gawuna enjoined farmers to embrace better farming systems introduced by the government with the support of development partners such as the Islamic Development Bank, and the Lives and Livelihood Funds, through KSADP, to make their livelihoods better and the state’s economy less dependent on the Federation Account.

Sasakawa Africa Association, SAA, Country Director, Prof. Sani Miko, described the KSADP-Sasakawa cooperation as a huge success story, because of the substantial increase in yield for all crops; Rice, 100 per cent, Maize, 60 per cent, Sorghum, 20 per cent and Millet, 80 per cent, among the beneficiaries, as compared with their production capacity before the project intervention, with corresponding increase in incomes.

He assured that this stride will continue so as to enhance agricultural competiveness in the state, stressing that this year alone, 270, 000 farmers will soon be supported.

“Already, 11, 800 out of the networked farmers are undergoing improved vegetable production training, processing and marketing enterprise skills, while 58, 000 farmers are receiving different capacity building programmes and support in the area of dry season cereals production. The balance will be reached by wet season,” he added.

The State Project Coordinator, Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project, Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, revealed that the project will unfold several interventions this year in line with its objective to contribute to reducing poverty and strengthening food and nutrition security in the state by developing agro-pastoral production systems.

It could be recalled that in August 2020, Kano Agro-Pastoral Development Project, KSADP, signed a multimillion dollar Memoranda of Understanding, MOU, with Sasakawa Africa Association, for interventions in crops value chain, aimed at impacting about 450, 000 small holder farmers, over a period of five years.

The collaboration aims to enhance food security, alleviate poverty and create jobs, among other things, in rural communities in Kano.