| ID: | 82858 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Nigeria |
| Title: | Nigeria - Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) – November 2023 |
| Description: |
The Albarka Women’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative sells branded bags of charcoal briquettes from their stall at the marketing infrastructure built by VCDP to provide secure marketing and storage facilities for VCDP-supported processors. The Albarka Women’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative, founded in 2021, transforms agricultural waste into briquettes, addressing poverty and environmental issues by providing cleaner cooking energy and reducing reliance on firewood. Empowered by the IFAD/VCDP Gender Action Learning System, the cooperative learned conflict resolution skills, fostering unity and harmony among members. The financial gains from briquette making have notably transformed the women's lives, enabling them to support their households financially, marking a significant positive change. The women in the group come from different walks of life, and the briquette production has brought them together in solidarity. They use their collective earnings to make improvements to their business, such as buying the motorized tricycle for transportation, and to help the less privileged, like inmates in the nearby correctional centre. As a briquette producer, Lobabatu, the group’s leader, feels excited when she walks through the village and sees people using her product. “I'm always excited to discover that people are using the briquettes,” she told. “I tell them that it was the VCDP that showed us the way to make them. They benefit, and our group benefits, too. We are all happy.” 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: | 15.24 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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