Niger: Some beneficiaries of the Federal Government/International Fund for Agricultural Development-Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP) in Niger have reported significant improvements in their economic standing, claiming they have become millionaires and landlords through the initiative. Farmers in the Ezhigi community, Edati Local Government Area, shared their experiences during a media tour of the FG/IFAD-VCDP project across various communities in Niger, highlighting the positive impacts of the dry season farming programme on their income, livelihoods, and children’s education.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Mr. Jubril Haruna, a rice farmer and processor, explained that before IFAD-VCDP’s intervention in 2020, he depended on his father for basic needs like food and accommodation. The programme equipped him with vital agricultural skills, including good agronomical practices, nursery bed preparation, transplanting, and the correct application of fertiliser. Beneficiaries received support in the form of tiller machines, subsidized fertilisers, and solar-powered irrigation pumping machines. Haruna remarked that initially, farming was limited to the rainy season, which was unsustainable. Now, with the ability to farm year-round on a larger scale, he has seen enhanced income and has been able to construct a brick house, set up a processing facility, and improve his children’s educational prospects, ultimately achieving millionaire status.
The programme provided solar panel water pumps, replacing the costly fuel pumps initially used. Haruna invested in additional panels to boost his irrigation farming, which he views as a more sustainable agricultural method. He noted that the improved Faro 44 seedlings offered by the programme yield significantly more produce-80 to 100 bags of 100kg per hectare compared to the previous 30 to 40 bags.
Another beneficiary, Mohammed Usman, discussed the interventions he received, such as training in nursery bed preparation and the use of tiller machines for soil excavation. Previously living in his father’s house, Usman is now a landlord thanks to the programme. He described the traditional farming methods as labor-intensive and less productive, emphasizing that the VCDP has introduced them to the benefits of dry season farming. The solar-powered water pumps provided by IFAD-VCDP have eliminated the high costs of diesel and fuel. Usman praised the programme for its transformative impact on the community, noting improvements in economic, moral, and social aspects of life, leading to modern brick houses and access to standard education for children.
Mrs. Hadiza Isah, State Programme Coordinator for IFAD-VCDP in Niger, stated that the visit aimed to document the success stories of farmers supported by VCDP since its inception in 2020. She highlighted that prior to the intervention, farmers cultivated between half a hectare and two hectares per person. The programme’s support has enabled them to expand their farms to three to four hectares each, with yields now reaching 6.5 to seven metric tonnes per hectare. The VCDP also addressed challenges in rice processing by providing processing units or facilities, with the overarching goal of sustainably enhancing rural incomes and food security.