By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, Nigeria Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP) 2024 – 2029, North Central Technical Consultation meeting has ended in Makurdi the Benue state capital with a positive outlook on improving on the massive successes already recorded by the intervention in five composite states.

In his presentation during the meeting, IFAD Consultant, Prof. Lawrence Ega explained that “COSOP is a concise cooperation strategy between IFAD and a member country which identifies the key objectives and development results to be pursued during a timeframe of (5 to 9 years)

“COSOP is a roadmap for the implementation of IFAD ’s mandate for inclusive and sustainable rural transformation with a focus on smallholders and in line with a food systems approach.”

He emphasised the importance of the workshop and listed its strategic objective which is “to enhance shared understanding of State-based and regional priorities for agri-food systems transformation.

“To identify challenges, fragility issues (for instance, security), gaps, opportunities and best practices for promoting agriculture and food systems transformation at States and Regional levels.

“To identify innovations, ICT4Development, and key successes for addressing identified needs and scaling up the implementation of priorities at States and regional levels.

“To identify key strategies and entry points for mainstreaming Gender and Youth, Nutrition, Environment and actions against Climate Change, Financial Inclusion and PWDs into the new COSOP (2024 – 2029) at State and regional levels.

“And to identify key partners (public and private sector) and sustainable partnership models needed to scale-up innovations, encourage State ownership, sustain the programme beyond IFAD-Intervention, as well as enhance private sector support to small scale farmers in the States and/or Region.”

In his presentation, the Country Programme Advisory Team, CPAT, lead, Dr. Ameh Onoja pointed out that COSOP 2016-2023 directly benefitted 5,144,805 persons in the country.

He stated that of this figure, 55 per cent were women while 59 were youths in 28 States of the six geopolitical zones.

He listed several achievements of the intervention in supporting farmers and smallholder organisations noting that 4,464 farmers’ organizations were formed and strengthened, same for 51,415 rural producers’ organizations, 3,761 marketing groups and 240 Community Development Associations (CDAs) that were developed including 138 Financial Savings Associations (FSAs) among other attainments.

In his presentation, the State Programme Coordinator, SPC, for Benue State, Mr. Emmanuel Igbaukum, who highlighted the achievement of IFAD VCDP in the state between 2016 to date, as well as the challenges faced, noted the Programme Development Objective, PDO, stating how the incomes and food security of poor rural households engaged in production, processing and marketing of rice and cassava in the targeted LGAs enhanced on a sustainable basis”.  

He brought to fore the rural poverty reduction and accelerated economic growth achieved on a sustainable and inclusive basis by the programme in the eight participating LGAs of the state.

Mr. Igbaukum explained that “IFAD-VCDP Infrastructures in Benue State stood at 53km constructed farm road, 11 processing Centres, 28 culverts, 11 mini-bridges, nine market stores and eight stalls, 29 water schemes, 1,162 hectares of developed land, three Bulking Centers, four transformers, and seven creches among others.”

The meeting which drew participants from five North Central states including Benue the host, Niger, Kogi, Taraba and Nasarawa States also had presentations on overviews and key results recorded in the states from the SPCs of the respective states.

Declaring the programme open earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Kester Kyenge who had earlier hosted the delegation in his office noted the importance of the IFAD intervention to the lives of the Benue farmers and commended the resounding successes recorded in the state by the programme.

He lauded the IFAD as the most outstanding donor agency in the state that had positively impacted the lives of farmers in terms of increase in productivity, provision of Market Infrastructures like roads, bridges, rice and cassava processing centres, water schemes and youths/women empowerment among others.

He stated that Benue came third in the last statistics on rice production in Nigeria despite the challenges of insecurity in the states which had hindered farmers from farming optimally, noting that “this breakthrough was achieved due to the IFAD support to the rice farmers in the state.”

He pleaded with IFAD to also herness the potential Benue state has in dry season farming by providing irrigation facilities to the beneficiaries.

The Commissioner decried the impact the herders crises have had on the programme in the state saying “we have a peculiar security challenge, in as much as the entire country is overwhelmed by security challenges, the case of Benue state is peculiar and we cannot shy away from the fact that we have been overwhelmed.

“We want IFAD to take this into consideration as you deal with our farmers, our state office and Ministry of Agriculture, so that you will be able to scale up your intervention that come into the state.”