Over 572, 309 smallholder crop farmers in Kano have been impacted under the Kano State Agro-pastoral Development Project (KSADP) crop value chain intervention, in the past four and half years.
The scope of the intervention includes capacity building, post-harvest support and market promotion, technology plots development, and provision of assorted labour equipment.
The project, which is funded by the Islamic Development Bank and the Lives and Livelihoods Fund, is aimed at reducing poverty and strengthening food and nutrition security through the development of agro-pastoral production systems.
The State Project Coordinator, Kano State Agro-pastoral Development Project, KSADP, Malam Ibrahim Garba Muhammad made this known while receiving a five-man mission, led by Mr. Javed Khan, from the Islamic Development Bank, at the Project Management Unit office in Kano.
“According to the Project Appraisal Document of the KSADP, the project through Sasakawa Africa Association will impact 450, 000 primary beneficiary farmers while 100, 000 farmers will benefit through KNARDA. Already, Sasakawa has exceeded its target by supporting 477, 284 farmers”, the Coordinator explained.
He expressed delight that the project has benefitted farmers beyond Kano state, as peasant farmers from neighbouring states come to the state to buy quality seeds.
Regarding the construction of 70-kilometer rural roads by the project, Malam Ibrahim highlighted that the original scope of the project was changed from earth access roads to tarred roads, with the approval of the Islamic Development Bank, for durability, as earth roads do not stand the test of time.
Under the livestock value chain, he mentioned that the project had constructed 40 Milk Collection Centres while 60 are at various stages of completion.
This is in addition to the construction of a Veterinary Reference Laboratory, 20 slaughterhouses, five cattle markets, as well as the conduct of annual livestock vaccination campaigns, among other things.
“But the major challenges we encountered during the execution of this project include delayed project implementation due to Covid-19, Naira redesign policy as well as inflation that hit the nation’s economy”, he emphasized.
The Head of the mission, Mr. Javed Khan was to appraise ongoing projects and to help the Project Management Unit, towards successful completion of the project in June, this year.
The mission later met the Managing Director of KNARDA, Dr. Farouk Kurawa as well as representatives of the KSADP implementing agencies and technical partners.
Credit: Ameen Kabeer Yassar
