About 572,309 smallholder crop farmers in Kano have benefited under the Kano State Agro-pastoral Development Project (KSADP) crop value chain intervention over the past four and a half years.
The scope of the intervention includes capacity building, post-harvest support and market promotion, technology plot development, and the provision of assorted labor equipment.
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The project, funded by the Islamic Development Bank and the Lives and Livelihoods Fund, aims to reduce poverty and strengthen food and nutrition security through the development of agro-pastoral production systems.
The State Project Coordinator of 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 benefited farmers beyond Kano State, as peasant farmers from neighboring states come to Kano to buy quality seeds.
Regarding the construction of 70 kilometers of 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 centers, while 60 others are at various stages of completion.
This is in addition to the construction of a veterinary reference laboratory, 20 slaughterhouses, five cattle markets, and the conduct of annual livestock vaccination campaigns, among other initiatives.
“But the major challenges we encountered during the execution of this project include delayed project implementation due to COVID-19, the Naira redesign policy, as well as inflation that hit the nation’s economy,” he emphasized.
The head of the mission, Mr. Javed Khan, was tasked with appraising ongoing projects and assisting the Project Management Unit toward the successful completion of the project in June this year.
The mission later met with the Managing Director of KNARDA, Dr. Farouk Kurawa, as well as representatives of the KSADP implementing agencies and technical partners.
Ameen Kabeer Yassar
Communication Specialist, KSADP
