Kano: The Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) has announced its support for 477,284 smallholder farmers across 44 local government areas in the state, under its crop component implemented by the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA). Abdulrasheed Kofar-Mata, the Project Coordinator, revealed this during a distribution event for agricultural machinery and equipment in Kano.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the intervention has led to significant agricultural transformation, improving food and nutrition security while achieving 86 percent of its annual goals. Kofar-Mata explained that the five-year project, funded by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF), and the Kano State Government, aims to reduce poverty and enhance food security among vulnerable households.
The SAA, as the technical partner implementing the crop component, has reportedly surpassed expectations by improving productivity, strengthening the seed system, reducing post-harvest losses, enhancing market access, and promoting climate-smart agriculture. The project has also contributed to increased income generation for thousands of smallholder farmers statewide.
The initiative has procured 98 tractors, complete with trailers, ploughs, and harrows, for distribution to beneficiaries. Of these, 10 tractors have been commissioned at the mechanization center, and eight were presented at the event. The remaining 80 will be allocated to mechanization centers and farming communities across the state. Additionally, the project is distributing 410 mini tractors, 160 multi-crop reapers, 150 maize reapers, and 100 rice reapers.
These machines are expected to enhance productivity, reduce labor-intensive work, and promote modern farming practices. The introduction of solar pumps is also anticipated to lower production costs during dry-season farming, thereby increasing yields and profitability.
Alhaji Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, the Kano State Project Coordinator, emphasized that this is a multi-activity project, and the items displayed only represent a portion of its interventions. Beneficiaries like Umar Hassan from Minjibir Local Government Area and Nazifi Ado from Doguwa Local Government have expressed their appreciation for the support, noting its positive impact on their farming activities and productivity.
Another beneficiary, Mairo Inuwa, who received a rice thresher, voiced her gratitude, highlighting that the assistance has provided her family with a reliable source of income. As a widow caring for orphans with an unemployed graduate son, she described the intervention as timely and transformative.