The Federal Government’s collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Feed the Future agricultural extension and advisory services activity in Nigeria has enabled 311 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) over the last four years to improve the country’s agricultural productivity. small farmers.

Jean-Pierre Rousseau, Director of Winrock International, USAID, said this during a national impact workshop on delivering innovative market-led extension services, themed “Innovations in the delivery of market-oriented extension services in Nigeria” which was held on Wednesday in Abuja.

Jean-Pierre Rousseau highlighted the importance of extension services to stimulate agricultural innovation.

He remarked, “Today, we have more than 311 MSMEs serving as catalysts for change, bringing innovation, information and productivity-enhancing inputs and services to the doorsteps of more than two million smallholder farmers.”

He noted that MSMEs have transformed extension services from mere information dissemination to a stronger entrepreneurial enterprise, thereby promoting agricultural productivity and innovation.

Nourishing future agricultural expansion.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, represented by Dr. Deola Lordbanjour, Director of Extension Services in the Ministry, described agricultural extension services as a crucial tool in providing innovative solutions to small agricultural operators.

He noted that the partnership with USAID has boosted business growth and created jobs for youth and women, in addition to improving market access for MSMEs and farmers.

“The impact of this collaboration extends to new business solutions, increased business growth and job creation for youth and women while improving market access for MSMEs and farmers. » Kyari said. He added that the partnership has contributed to the sustainable development of the Nigerian agricultural sector, significantly improving productivity.

MSME Transformation

According to Kyari, since 2020, the collaboration has identified and implemented effective agricultural practices, making MSMEs key players in the extension services landscape.

“We have jointly identified several effective agricultural practices as business solutions for farmers, transforming MSMEs into key players in agricultural extension services. » » he declared.

He further emphasized that the government’s mission was to provide efficient and demand-driven services to farmers, particularly youth and women, by encouraging the adoption of new agricultural technologies and facilitating access to markets.

Dr. Benjamin Odoemena, Chief Party Officer for USAID, provided an overview of the five-year USAID-funded development initiative.

He explained that the program aims to increase access to improved agricultural technologies for 2 million farmers in several states, including Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi and Niger.

He highlighted that MSMEs are key to facilitating learning, replication and scaling of innovative agricultural models.

The workshop also highlighted the transformative impact of the initiative through farmer testimonies. Dorcas Shoja, a farmer, expressed gratitude to USAID’s Feed the Future initiative for introducing modern agricultural practices. “We (farmers) are happy now, people come to observe my farms and join us to learn more about MIPs. » she said.

What you need to know

Nairametrics reports that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) managed to mobilize $244 million in agricultural investments through its “Nourishing future agribusiness investment activity in Nigeria. » This five-year initiative has supported over 18,000 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in seven states: Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi and Niger.

The program has significantly improved the operations of these MSMEs, which play a vital role in local economies, by boosting their productivity and growth.

Agriculture remains a key pillar of the Nigerian economy, employing almost 35% of the workforce and contributing about 23.69% of the country’s GDP.

Despite its essential role, the sector faces challenges such as high operational costs, limited access to financing and regulatory hurdles. USAID’s agribusiness investment activity aimed to address these issues, enabling MSMEs to grow and focus on improving food production in Nigeria.

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