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ABUJA – Mr Jean Pierre-Rousseau, Project Director, Winrock International, has said that the USAID Feed the Future Agricultural Extension and Advisory Service Activity, being implemented in the seven focal States in Nigeria has facilitated the in-flow of N67billion to smallholder farmers in the last four years.
Rousseau, stated this in Abuja at the National Impact Workshop, jointly organised by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the USAID Feed the Future Agricultural Extension and Advisory Service Activity.
He explained that over two million farmers have benefited from the USAID initiative, which has facilitated the inflow of over N67 billion to smallholder farmers in Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Niger States.
Rousseau, who has been the Project Director of the Extension Activity since its inception five years ago, said over 311MSMEs have been raised, who serve as change catalysts, by bringing innovation, information, and productivity enhancing inputs and services to the doorsteps of over two million smallholder farmers in the seven focal states.
He said:”I have had the privilege of working with the Extension Activity since its inception five years ago.In designing this initiative, we faced the challenge of finding effective solutions to deliver impactful extension services that improve the livelihoods, productivity, profitability and market access of over 2 million smallholder farmers across Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Niger states.
“I know this is a challenge familiar to everyone in this room. How do we transform agriculture in Nigeria to achieve food sufficiency, particularly when our extension system relies on one extension agent serving 10,000 farmers?
“The heart of our solution lies in Nigeria’s remarkable spirit of entrepreneurship. The Extension Activity, alongside our partners at the Federal Department of Agriculture Extension, has harnessed this spirit to transform extension services.
“I am proud to stand in front of you this morning and announce that today we have over 311 micro, small and medium enterprises—MSMEs—serving as change catalysts, by bringing innovation, information, and productivity enhancing inputs and services to the doorstep of over 2 million smallholder farmers.
“The entrepreneurship, ingenuity and innovation coming from those MSMEs, many of which have joined us today, have demonstrated to the nation how Private Sector Extension service delivered through MSMEs has a catalytic impact on national food security.
“These MSME change agents have transformed extension services from mere information dissemination into a robust enterprise. They have showcased the positive economic and social benefits of private sector investments in smallholder-oriented service provision.
“This not only increases the revenue of MSMEs but also promotes productivity and prosperity among smallholder farmers.
“Those MSMEs have built the business case that investment in on-farm service provision linked to market opportunity is a profitable enterprise.
“You will hear testimonies today directly from the Feed the Future Extension Activity MSME partners about how this investment has translated to increased sales and profitability.
“You will hear about how they have exponentially increased their farmer customer base for improved climate resilient seed, fertilizer, mechanization services amongst 39 other MIPs: most impactful practices.”
“By providing market-aligned and market responsive business solutions, or most impactful practices, to smallholder farmers we have been able to realize farmer adoption rates of promoted practices and technologies of upwards of 70%.
“MSMEs have also been critical intermediaries for facilitating the flow of affordable financing to smallholder farmers. Finance they need to invest in improving their productivity to capture new market opportunity. Through those MSMEs we have rolled out input credit models that have generated over 95% repayment rates, and facilitated the flow of over 67 billion Naira in financing to smallholder farmers.”
He expressed confidence that Nigeria can become a powerhouse of innovation in smallholder service delivery, adding that “Together through collaboration between government, private sector, and donor programmes, we can achieve transformative impacts on livelihoods.”
In his presentation, Dr. Ben Odoemena, Chief of Party, USAID Feed the Future Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Activity in Nigeria, said the Extension Activity’s approach is anchored on private sector engagement, with a primary focus on partnering with MSMEs and other private sector extension and market service providers to test, adapt and scale MIPs for smallholder farmers.
Odoemena affirmed that MIPs are business solutions/opportunities that effectively and sustainably facilitate access to agro-inputs, market and extension messaging by smallholder farmers.
The highpoint of the workshop was the testimonies and success stories shared by farmers who have increased their customers base, incomes and livelihoods through the implementation of the USAID initiative in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
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