| ID: | 82875 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Nigeria |
| Title: | Nigeria - Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) – November 2023 |
| Description: |
Oil palm kernals sorted and ready for processing, Ndieze community in Ebonyi State, southeastern Nigeria. Cynthia Edeze, 35 years old, is a cassava seed entrepreneur in the Izzi local government area of Ebonyi State. VCDP selected her in 2017 for training in cassava seed production at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) in Abbia. After her training, VCDP provided Cynthia with enough pro-Vitamin A fortified cassava stem and agrochemicals to plant one hectare of land. She has since expanded to ten hectares and today, is one of the major cassava seed producers in Ebonyi state and beyond. She has earned more than 3 million Naira (about US$ 3,800) selling cassava cuttings in 2023, and more than 5 million from her integrated farming activities. “The local cassava variety I used to farm had a low yield of just 10 to 15 tonnes of cassava root per hectare. But with the improved variety I received from VCDP, I harvest up to 25 to 30 tons. While I formerly used the stalks as firewood, stem multiplication is now my major income source.” “VCDP extension agents monitored my farm activities to make sure I properly used all I had learned through the training,” told Cynthia. “I started to make money and was able to pay my school fees, and I graduated in 2019. I have built a small bungalow for my family, and even bought a motorcycle.” In just six years, Cynthia has transformed from her humble beginning as a subsistence farmer to an agrobusiness entrepreneur providing employment to others. She has used her business acumen to build her integrated farming enterprise, establishing a piggery, a fishery, and most recently adding a snailery. She is proudest of the garri processing facility she built, with the bonus of using cassava by-products to reduce the cost of livestock feed. She uses nuts harvested from oil palms that grow on her farm to produce oil, which she uses for household cooking and garri processing and also sells. “My integrated farm provides a very good income, and allows me to provide my family a nutritious, balanced diet. We eat snails, fish, pork and Vitamin-A fortified cassava, as well as a variety of vegetables I grow on the farm.” With several years of experience and a wealth of knowledge, Cynthia now collaborates with the NRCRI, where she started her own learning process, on a seed multiplication project for several cassava varieties, and with Ebonyi State University on multiplication of yam varieties. “My advice to other young people is that they shouldn’t run away from agriculture. It is very lucrative and gives more money than white collar jobs. With agri business, you can live a comfortable life. I don't work for other people now - I work for myself. I have ten people working for me today. All of them have contributed to my success.” The Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), which started its activities in 2014, works in close coordination with local government across nine states—Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, and Taraba—on developing cassava and rice value chains for smallholder farmers, rolling out development initiatives that aim to reduce post-harvest losses, strengthen food security and accelerate economic growth. Building strong public-private-producer partnerships (4Ps) has provided a solid pathway for reaching sustainable transformation in rural communities where agriculture is a mainstay of economic activity. VCDP helps households adopt sustainable and climate resilient practices, as well as dietary diversity that leads to better nutrition and health benefits. The project has benefited almost 100,000 rural people, in particular women and youth. The number of households living in poverty has decreased by almost 50 per cent, while agricultural income of more than 60 per cent of VCDP-supported beneficiaries has increased by 25 per cent. |
| Size: | 20.34 MB; 6480 x 4320 pixels; 549 x 366 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1714 x 1143 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Show more details: | Andrew Esiebo |
| Copyright: | ©IFAD/Andrew Esiebo |
| Categories: | New from West and Central Africa |
| URL: | www.ifad.org |
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