At a media briefing held on Monday, Mr. Jean-Pierre Rousseau, Project Director for Winrock International under USAID, announced that Nigerian farmers have accessed $40.8 million in credit within the past three years. This briefing was part of the lead-up to the national impact summit scheduled for Wednesday in Abuja.
Rousseau noted that the project has connected 2.021 million smallholder farmers across several states, including Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi, and Niger, to new information, technologies, and services. By collaborating with micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), the initiative has provided greater access to improved agricultural technologies and innovative models of extension services.
He emphasized that the upcoming summit aims to share the project’s achievements with key stakeholders both in Nigeria and abroad, fostering wider adoption and sustainability across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Dr. Ben Odoemena, Chief of Party for the USAID Feed the Future Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services Activity in Nigeria, highlighted that the project has identified 39 Most Impactful Practices (MIPs). These practices serve as essential extension innovation messages or business solutions that MSMEs must convey to smallholder farmers to enhance their capabilities.
Odoemena added that approximately 70% of the improved agricultural practices are climate-smart, aimed at helping farmers adapt to and build resilience against climate change. Additionally, the MSMEs involved in the project have created 1,088 sustainable jobs, primarily for young people, to meet the growing demand for agricultural inputs and extension services from an increasing number of farmers in their networks.
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