The Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project (KSADP) has recorded yield increases of over 150 per cent across major crops, boosting food security and farmers’ incomes in Kano State.
The Country Director of the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), Dr Godwin Atser, disclosed this on Saturday at the KSADP/SAA Project Close-Out Workshop held in Kano.
Atser said the gains were achieved through the crop value chain component of KSADP, implemented by SAA in partnership with the Kano State Government.
He explained that the project, launched in 2020, was designed to address challenges faced by smallholder farmers, including low productivity, weak extension services, high post-harvest losses and limited access to markets.
According to him, SAA implemented integrated interventions covering agricultural extension, productivity enhancement, climate-smart agriculture, seed system development, mechanization, post-harvest management and market linkages.
Atser said more than 477,000 farmers across the state’s 44 local government areas benefited from improved technologies and advisory services under the project.
“Yield increases ranging from over 150 to 226 per cent were recorded for crops such as rice, maize, sorghum, millet, tomato, onion and cabbage.
“These improvements translated into higher incomes, with average earnings rising to about ₦972,462 per hectare through increased productivity, reduced costs and improved access to markets,” he said.
He added that the project strengthened public agricultural extension systems through capacity building, provision of mobility and digital tools, and the deployment of community-based facilitators.
Atser noted that more than 100,000 women and youths were integrated into production, processing and agribusiness activities, while investments in aggregation, storage and processing facilities helped to reduce post-harvest losses.
He commended the support of the Islamic Development Bank and the Lives and Livelihoods Fund, as well as the KSADP Project Management Unit and other development partners.
The SAA country director expressed confidence that the systems and capacities established under KSADP would be sustained and scaled up to further enhance food security and drive agricultural transformation in Kano State.
