ABIA STATE REPORT

Strategic Planning Initiative and Recommendations for Farms and Agricultural Development in Southern Nigeria Through ‘FarmServe’ Improvement Efforts**

By *Dennis O. Balogu, Ph.D., M.P.A., Project Design Specialist, OICI/USAID

INTRODUCTION

The Opportunities Industrialization Center International (OICI), Inc. is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the lives of people in developing countries through sustainable vocational/skill training, advancing food security initiatives, improving agricultural productivity, enhancing entrepreneurial and business developmental skills. Its current programs and activities in Nigeria and other West African countries of Ghana, Mali, Guinea, The Gambia and Senegal are sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

As a Consultant Program Design Specialist for OICI, Professor Dennis O. Balogu conducted a specialized study of Southern Nigeria (South-south and South-East) and collected data for the development of a strategic plan of operation for the activities of OICI in enhancing sustainable agricultural and entrepreneurial skills for rural farmers in the region. The study too place on July – August, 2005. Three states (Rivers, Cross River, and Abia) were chosen for the study and collecting data for the development of a strategic plan that would be implemented in the Southern region, including Abia, Ebonyi, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom.

OICI’s objectives include working to improve the well-being of rural small farm communities through the teaching and improvement of farming techniques to maximize productivity. Its objectives in the Southern Nigeria focus on working through host organizations (such as Agricultural Development Programmes (ADPs)) in improving and maximizing productivity of rural small farm clienteles and enhancing local entrepreneurial and business skills. It is therefore necessary to develop a strategic plan that includes a plan-of-action for its implementation. This plan will also endeavor to suggest evaluative and assessment measures that would estimate its outcome. This report concentrates on records and observations in Abia State, Nigeria.

ABIA STATE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME &

OICI/USAID ACTIVITIES

Method of Information Gathering:

In order to collect required vital information for effective planning, information were collected in the following categories and view points within and outside the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) as follows: (1) Rural Institutional Development and its rural clienteles, (2) Vegetable Producers and Brokers of Abia State, (3) Extension Service and its clienteles and (4) administrators of Agricultural Programmes: 

Issues, Constraints and Challenges as seen by the Division of Rural Institutions Development (RID) of Abia State Agricultural Development Programme (AADP), and their clienteles: RID is divided in three areas of operation as follows: (1) Capacity Building, (2) Finance, (3) Technical Services (Farm Power).

 1.  Capacity Building : There are limited manpower resources to carry out the following responsibilities. RID ensures that farmers are trained in new technologies. It ensures that farmers are aware of improved crop varieties. It encourages farmers to form farmers’ groups in order to pull their resources together and work cooperatively to solve common problems. These groups may precipitate into cooperatives and also become more informed of new developments within their environment.

 2.  Finance: There are limited budgetary allocations to carry-out set objectives of the AADP because of the following short comings: (a) Government budget allocation to Agriculture is relatively small; (b) Government should facilitate loans with low interest rates to farmers; (c) Loans should be given to farmers at the production seasons (in time). (Usually, Farmers receive less than what is needed resulting in low productivity.)

 3.  Technical Services (Farm Power): Manual labor cost is very high and unattractive to farmers. Unmechanized agriculture is not attractive to the youth. The level of technology used in farming is very low and poor.

 Mobility is a constraint. Extension agents (especially) women are unable to be provided with resources to travel to see farmers. There are bad and inaccessible roads to farms hinder access to markets and extension services to the farmers. High cost of farming implements may not be affordable to farmers.

 Limited water for irrigation and for household use

Issues, Constraints, Challenges as seen by Vegetable Producers and Brokers: Farmers yield can be improved through extending loan facility to farmers. Major Constraints are:

 1. Storage (Post-harvest management). For vegetable and small fruit farmers, a good harvest week results to low price tag for the farmer. Vegetables (such as egg plants) are perishable and must be sold the same day or the farmer loses.

 2. Insect susceptibility. Most vegetable crops are infested with insects that condemn the products to low quality. Affordable and effective insecticide is needed

 3.  Funding: Vegetable crops are labor and attention intensive crops. Cash is needed at the required time - during planting and harvesting. Funds are needed to purchase labor for planting, apply fertilizer/manure and harvest the product. Cash is needed to purchase fertilizer, insecticide, etc

 4. Irrigation water: The crops can be all-round the year crop with irrigation water is made available.

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Issues, Constraints, Challenges as seen the Division of Extension Service of AADP and their clienteles:

 1. Limited mobility – There are fewer vehicles and access road to reach farmers. Farmers complain about high cost of physical labor

 2. Land Tenure System Problems – Small parches of land here and there do not encourager farm mechanization.

 3. Fertilizer procurement – It has been hard to access fertilizer enough to apply to the crops at the desirable times.

 4. Shortage of Extension Staff/field workers are problems encountered in several occasions when the staff is unable to reach the farmers because of the lack of transportation. 

 5. Lack of motivation for workers: Some example, it is very hard to motivate extension agents who live in local areas with neither electricity nor drinking water, and are grossly under paid.

 5. Post Harvest Management – Farmers produce crops that are very perishable. There is great need for value-added processing that will also improve the shelf-life of the processed food.

 6. Disease infestation – need improved disease resistant varieties.

 7. Marketing: Farmers should have access to other markets where value added products could be sold. Most farmers only have access to local markets. Presidential initiative on Cassava has increased interest on cassava production and is opening other markets, including Chinese market for farmers.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Critical Issues Addressed by OICI Consultant, Professor Dennis O. Balogu:

The critical issues were found to be universal and predictable for all the Agricultural Development Programmes in the South-south and South-East Geo-Political Regions. The following reflect the finding in the three states studied:

a. Technical Staff Issues: The ADP organizations in the three states (Cross River, Abia, and Rivers) have well qualified employees heading the respective functional units. ADPs were adequately funded when the World Bank was their major sponsor. After the World Bank’s tenure ended, ADPs were handed over to states governments that provide funding that provides to mostly, salaries. Since then, there has been limited or no funds allocated for training and re-training of extension personnel. Without increased funding, coupled with Nigeria’s Federal Governments moratorium on employing new personnel in the civil service, training personnel are becoming scant. In Rivers State for example, there has been neither new staff employed nor external training of employees occurring within the past ten years.

b. Problems Addressed: (1) Employing new personnel to increase available specialists. (2) Increase funding to enable specialists carry-

c. Out frequent visits to rural farmers (3) Improve management of motor pool facilities to enable specialists have unfettered access to vehicles for the purposes of visiting rural farm communities; (4) Improve the living standards of the agricultural extension agents to increase

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS

1.  The following are specific recommendations made by the OICI Consultant, Professor Dennis O. Balogu for improving Abia Agricultural Development Programme:

The state and federal governments should provide farmers with subsidized inputs. Direct Money (Cash) to farmers should be discouraged at this time, in preference for the following:

 1. Government: The local, state and federal governments should improve on electric supply, water supply, access roads, housing and other living amenities in local areas. Most rural farm communities have neither clean drinking water nor electricity. Hence, there is continuous exodus of youths from the rural areas to big cities.

 2. Government should endeavor to provide a rig for drilling wells in “hard-to- sink-well areas”. Most of the farm areas in Abia can use well water for irrigation to provide round-the-year fresh vegetable crops

 3. Improve market information: Farmers should be provided with information of ready markets for their products before cultivation and during harvesting periods.

 4. Post-Harvest Management: There is the need to improve on processing facilities, post harvest management, and value added handing and processing so that farmers would be able to earn more from their products and reduce the losses incurred from perished unprocessed food.

1.  GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

 Recommendation for improving Abia Agricultural Development Programme (AADP) and its activities:

 1. There is some in-house training for Agricultural Extension Service personnel. What has been missing is training that involve traveling and travel expenses which would introduce new innovations in agriculture to the Extension Service personnel as well as farmers. Training sessions should be planned frequently to update Extension personnel on new methods of farming, new production innovations and technology.

 2. The Abia Civil Service System’s staff conduct policies are deemed not effective and conducive when applied to Extension Agents (personnel) activities. Salary categorizations in the civil services are not enough to provide for the family. Extension Agents should be mobile in order to meet with farmers when ever they are needed. However, they are limited from doing their work because of the lack of transportation. So, transportation should be made available to them at all times. There should be improvement in the living conditions. Clean drinking water and electric power should be provided for the benefit of Extension personnel and rural farm communities.

 3. Information to Farmers: Loan, planting, fertilizer and harvest information to farmers should be given on timely manner. Making information available to farmers very late would drastically decrease crop yield and productivity.

 4. Improved crop varieties and breeds: Farmers should be introduced to new and improved crop varieties and animal breeds for the purpose of enhancing their productivity. Improvement of planting technology should be made available to farmers

 5. Commendation for better farmers: As incentive to farmers and stimulant to competitive spirit, farmers with best yield data, production records and sales records, cooperative efforts and others should be commended in organized meetings or conferences.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

*Professor Dennis O. Balogu is a Professor of Agriculture (Animal Agriculture) at the University of Arkansas. He has more than twenty years experience in practical, professional and academic experience in American Agriculture and Institutional Management. Balogu has executed agricultural projects funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nation/Food and Agricultural Organization (UN/FAO), United Nations Development Programs (UNDP), and the World Bank. Balogu also has worked as a strategic planning consultant, training consultant and in farm development in African countries, including, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Liberia.

Robot  # 1 | 19.10.2007 00:02

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