SASAKAWA GLOBAL 2000: Achieving Green Revolution in Nigeria

SASAKAWA GLOBAL 2000: Achieving Green Revolution in Nigeria

 

African's worst famine of 1980s that hit about 20 countries with colossal loss of human dignity greatly shocked the World. The worst affected countries were those located in Sub Sahara region. As a result of this tragedy/ disaster millions of aid dollars flooded the continent,; one of the first to fly in food aid was the notable philanthropist, Mr. Ryoichi Sasakawa, Chairman of the Japanese Shipbuilding Industry Foundation (JSIF). Mr. Sasakawa was fully aware that flying in food items was only an immediate solution to food crisis in Africa and the permanent solution  is attacking the underlying causes of African's food crisis not just the symptoms. Being a Japanese billionaire,   he was fully aware of the role that the high-yielding wheat and rice varieties and improved agronomic practices played in averting widespread famine in Asia during the 1960s and 1970s. Therefore, his thinking was how to trigger a "green revolution in Africa" that could ensure three square meals on every dining table in Africa on sustainable manner. In 1984, Mr. Sasakawa engaged the services of a renowned scientist, Mr. Norman E. Borlaug, a Nobel Peace Prize winner who eventually became President, Sasakawa Africa Association, and Senior Consultant, Global 2000. At the same time, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, also deeply concerned about Africa's food production crisis and looking for ways to help solve it, offered his collaboration and assistance, especially in the policy making arena and mobilization of African Leaders, which was critical to overcoming the many problems plaguing agricultural development in Africa.

In January 1986, Mr. Sasakawa, President Carter, Dr. Leslie Swindale (Director General of ICRISAT) and Mr. Borlaug visited several Africa nations for discussions with government leaders about the prospects of establishing action- oriented, food crop technology transfer projects. They found strong interest for their proposals, as a result of which, two agricultural development projects were launched in Sudan and Ghana. To manage these agricultural projects (along with other development projects, especially in primary health care), President Carter proposed the establishment of a non-profit organization, christened "Global 2000," which became part of the Carter Presidential Center in  Atlanta. Consequently , the birth of SASAKAWA AFRICAN ASSOCIATION GLOBAL 2000 popularly known as SAA/SG 2000. For nearly three decades. food production in most sub-Saharan countries has not kept pace with demand, as explosive population growth and declining soil fertility have overwhelmed traditional agricultural systems. Despite the fact that 70-85%

of the people in most African countries are engaged in agriculture, most governments either have given agricultural and rural development a low priority or have pursued impractical, idealistic developmental goals. Investments in input delivery and grain marketing systems, in agricultural research, extension, and education have been woefully inadequate. Similarly, Agricultural policies  have been inconsistence or poorly implemented, which have greatly distorted production incentives for farmers. Continue with the link

SASAKAWA GLOBAL 2000: Achieving Green Revolution in Nigeria II

Sasakawa African Association SG2000 - Nigeria is currently active in nine states in Nigeria, cutting across northern and southern regions. The states are Adamawa, Anambra, Benue, Cross-River, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina and Ogun, respectively. In each of the nine states, SG2000 operates with active collaboration of the State Agricultural Development Programs (ADPs) and other relevant organizations for achieving desire results. Collaboration and partnership are cardinal pillars for the implementation of sustainable community development's projects. This approach has many advantages; collaborative projects are seen as projects owned by the partners and the community where the projects are sited. In addition to the sense of ownership, there are elements of roles, responsibilities and cost sharing among the partners during the projects implementation. 

In each of the nine states where SG2000 implement projects, the state Agricultural Development Programs (ADPs) assigned state coordinator and two to three zonal coordinators, depending on the state and the number of front-line extension agents available for the project implementation. The SAA/SG2000-Nigeria program operates five (5) sub-themes. The themes are: Crop Productivity Enhancement (Theme 1), Post-harvest Handling and Agro-processing (Theme 2,Public–Private Partnerships and Market Access (Theme 3), Human Resource Development (Theme 4) and Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Sharing (Theme 5).

With vast experience in community development projects, SG2000 realizes that improvement of crop productivity is generally not enough to lift smallholder farmers out of poverty. Farmers must also add value to their primary production and also diversify their range of income-earning activities from on-farm to off-farm operations. Thus, SG2000 focuses on the capacity development of farmers on improvement of the postharvest handling, storage and processing of agricultural produce. This has greatly reduced postharvest losses and thereby increasing income and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and agro-processors.

In Nigeria, postharvest losses were reported to be enormous to as much as 30 % for grains and more than 40 % for the tubers and fruits. To reduce these staggering post- harvest losses and improve quality of produce by farmers’, SG2000 Nigeria through its second sub-theme on the post -harvest and agro-processing extension program employs several strategies to achieve desire results. The strategies include Farmers’ Needs Assessment, Identification, verification and adaption of efficient and effective value-adding postharvest handling, processing and drying and storage methods/technologies, Field Demonstrations; Field days; Use of multi-media, Postharvest Extension and Learning Platforms (PHELP), Trainings: ToT, Farmer, Agro-processors,  Promote service providers,  Partnerships: within and outside SAA.  

As reported in the first part of this article, SG2000 is involved in all aspects of agriculture from production to marketing and tertiary food processing techniques. Time and space cannot allow this Column to report all the breakthroughs made by SG2000 in Nigerian Agricultural development.  However, an example of SG2000 interventions in Postharvest Handling and Storage Technologies are summarized as a concluding part of this article.

Much of the postharvest handling work is directed towards strengthening the competiveness of commercially-oriented smallholder farmers to engage in crop productivity enhancement activities. The SG2000 Post -harvest specialists help farmers to improve the efficiency and quality of postharvest handling. Famers are trained to make their grains unbroken, un-infested, free of debris, and sufficiently dried to be stored without threat of molds. Extension training programs are mounted to sensitize farmers to prepare their grains attaining market quality requirements. The Post- harvest theme seeks to introduce improved technology (largely mechanized) for threshing/shelling, drying and milling. Reducing postharvest storage losses is a priority for all participating smallholder farmers, whether they are food-insecure or more commercially oriented.

The Post- harvest theme works with resource-poor, food-insecure families to provide off-farm employment opportunities through the development of agro-processing enterprises. Women-based farmer groups are particularly being given attention and thus, being assisted to produce marketable products from locally available crops that can be sold in local markets and in larger cities to supplement farm income. These processed food products are prepared using household recipes, and home economists provide technical advice to improve nutritional value and hygiene (in processing and packaging) to make the new products more appealing to consumers. The products are proving to be popular, both locally and in major towns and cities, and offer the potential for developing future agribusinesses.

SG2000 Nigeria is also interested in assisting rural dwellers, especially women, to develop agribusinesses that add value to the crops in the SAA crop menu. Examples are parboiling of rice, oil extraction from groundnuts, producing condiments from soybeans, and making flour from various cereals. About 1,500 women have been trained on quality processing and Agri-business development and Group dynamics. This is done in collaboration with Subject Matter Specialist from the Women in Agriculture of the various ADPs and the public –Private Partnership theme.

Focusing on agro-enterprises built around food crops addressed under Crop Productivity Enhancement Theme,  provides an additional benefit from improving crop productivity, as well as from improved postharvest handling and agro-processing. This sort of integrated activity represents the fullest expression of the value chain within SAA's new smallholder development model.

One of SG2000 Nigeria's strategies to improve postharvest handling is to promote private service providers to supply value-adding mechanized services to farmers. SG2000 Nigeria has introduced Multi Crop threshers, grain cleaners, Rice mills, Rice destoner, Hammer mills, dehullers, cassava graters and press in the states of operation based on crop value chains.  Maize threshed by machine takes a fraction of the time required with traditional methods, it is cleaner and the grains are less damaged. However, a motorized threshing machine is expensive and has too much capacity to serve only one farmer. To meet the demand, there has been a rapid scaling up of some 20 small-scale commercial threshing enterprises, 14 rice milling enterprises, 5 cassava enterprise and 6 maize milling enterprises . 

SG2000 is committed to bringing more labor-saving, quality improving machinery and process technology to postharvest handling and agro-processing. Developing strategies to supply suitable agricultural machinery to smallholder farmers in the most affordable and sustainable way is a major objective in the Post- Harvest and Agro-processing program. SG2000 offers services to farmers in identification and validation of agricultural equipment related to the crops addressed in its  crop productivity enhancement program and inform partners how such technology can be sourced – either imported or locally manufactured. SG2000 works with machinery fabricators to develop and demonstrate new equipment, as well as provide training to service providers and other end users. Similarly, SG2000 trains local manufacturers so that they can sustainably and cost-effectively produce high-quality post-harvest and agro-processing equipment. This is done to ensure that good maintenance systems are also put into place. And, in collaboration with Public-Private Partnership Theme, identify market linkages along crop value chains to facilitate the use of value-adding technologies.

In conclusion, there is no doubt that SG2000; an international NGO has made significant impacts on the lives and productivity of small holder – farmers in Nigeria as well as in more than ten countries globally. With its achievement globally, the founding fathers of this novel organization must be happy and contented for their roles in reducing the suffering of the resource – poor farmers in Africa. The Vision and goal of the founding fathers of SAA/SG2000 is on course: “Take it to the Farmers”

Readers Comments

Re: SASAKAWA GLOBAL 2000: Achieving Green Revolution in Nigeria

It is another circle of comments,  an opportunity for readers of this Column to react on my previous articles or make suggestions on improving the Column. Readers are also invited to send their write ups/articles on innovation,  inventions and breakthroughs for possible publication in this Column. The major comment in Today's edition of the Column came from Dr. Esther Ibrahim, Kano. Happy reading

Let me start by thanking Leadership Friday, a reputable and respectable national daily for publicizing our (SG 2000) modest contributions to the development of Nigerian agriculture under this Column. However,  I wish to make additional information on the make roles of SG 2000 in capacity development of farmers agricultural personnel nationwide.

Historically, the SASAKAWA-Global 2000 project was launched in Nigeria in 1992 as a “dynamic technology demonstration field program”. The project initially targeted small-scale farmers in Kano and Kaduna states. The first cycle of field work was planned for 1993, concentrating on improving maize productivity.SG 2000’s role has been to spearhead pilot small-scale farmer development efforts so that other organizations get involved. Its role is to break the ground, show what is possible, and help light the way. In the years that followed, SG 2000 expanded its activities in the Northern Guinea Savannah areas of Nigeria – principally in sixstates, Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano and Zamfara. In 2009, the program shifted fromits previous mode of operation, with a primary focus on increasingcrop productivity, “to a more holistic approach for strengthening the extension advisory services provided to farmers,”  The new approach was aimed at strengthening the skills and credentials of extension workers; improve the effectiveness of public agricultural extension systems, to provide smallholder farmers with a range of appropriate technology options; build more effective research, extension, farmer, and input supplier institutional linkages; and broaden and strengthen private sector extension advisory services.

The changes to the program coincided with the death of the SASAKAWA Africa Association (SAA)’s iconic President, Dr Norman Borlaug, and the far reaching organizational restructuring that followed – including the development of a five year strategic plan with its emphasis on the value chain, the creation of stronger public-private partnerships in Support of extension delivery and more effective information knowledge management. As an important part of this new strategy, the SAA has worked to diversify its funding services while continuing to rely on the constant and unswerving support of The Nippon Foundation. As a result, SAA activities in the field have been scaled up and a much greater impact made.

In Nigeria, SG 2000 was able to advance the positive reaction of 4 states – Adamawa, Gombe, Jigawa, and Kano– to cost sharing in the implementation of SAA activities, including the SASAKAWA Africa Fund for Extension Education (SAFE).Similarly, SG2000 partners with other Non-Governmental Organizations in extension delivery to farmers as a service provider. These includes: USAID/ MARKETS, AGRA and CADP.

In February, 2013, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) signed a Memorandum Of Understanding with the SASAKAWA Africa Association (SAA). This led to the development of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, SASAKAWA Africa Association and SASAKAWA Africa Fund for Extension Education (FMARD/SAA Extension Program in Nigeria. River, Gombe, Katsina and Ogun States.

These funds have helped to scale up SAA activities in these states and a much greater impact is being made in skills upgrading and adoption of new technologies in crop production and value addition.”

How did we record these achievements within few years of SG 2000 existence  in Nigeria? Our Modus Operandis is the answer to this question. Our approach among others includes;

Ø  Working with and through the National Extension Services, farmers’ organizations, input dealers and relevant stakeholders

Ø  capacity building through adult learning techniques;

Ø  aiming at smallholders (and previously marginalized groups) for food security and market production

Ø  Transferring evidence based technologies to farmers

Ø  linking research and extension – providing feed-back to both

The SG2000 guiding principles for extension delivery services are designed to be sustainable, scalable, cost-efficient and addressing productivity issues. This is the secret behind the successes achieved by the SG 2000.

In some of the states (Bauchi, Katsina, Gombe etc) where SG2000 is well recognized by the successes achieved way back from the 1990s when farmers, with SG interventions were able to obtain tremendous increase in the yield of maize from average of 1.8 tons/ha to the average of 5.0tons/ha.

Finally, let me itemize few of the SG 2000's breakthroughs in Nigeria in collaboration with its partners

·         The program has enhanced cooperative activities and group participation in most farming communities where SG operates.

·         So far, a total of 1,374 extension agents 123,921  farmers were trained on crop productivity enhancing technologies

-          The post-Harvest and Agro-processing unit of SG 2000 has improved the postharvest handling, storage and processing of agricultural produce and has significantly reduced losses of agricultural produce thereby improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and agro-processors. In this Unit alone SG 2000 was able to train 1500 extension Agents and 37,000 farmers on Improved Post Harvest handling and storage management of the selected crops. Thus, 220 different Modern Post- Harvest and Agro- processing Technologies were identified, tested, adapted and demonstrated to farmers

22 Modern Agro-processing Centres ( Maize, Groundnut oil,  Rice & Cassava ) established across the states

45 service providers empowered to provide post- harvest  services to farmers and processors

1410 women processors trained on quality processing and agri- business development and management

·         184  EAs and Lead farmers were trained to acquire skills of assessing agricultural market using Rapid Market Assessment (RMA) tool, Value chain concept and Business plan

·         52 EAs, 104 lead farmers (Cassava and Rice) and 112 Agro-dealers were trained on Agri-Business Management and Group Dynamics.

I will conclude by mentioning one giant achivement in the areas of human capacity development. SG 2000 established "The SASAKAWA Africa Fund for Extension Education (SAFE)" an initiative described by stakeholders as SG 2000 most significant contribution to institutional capacity building since its launch at the University of Cape Coast nearly 20 years ago. SAFE is a legally separate organization from SG 2000, but also funded by The Nippon Foundation, SAFE provides leadership for building human resource capacity in agricultural extension. By the end of 2012, more than 4,000 mid-career extension professionals were benefitting from the program in 17 universities and colleges across Africa. SAFE programs are currently operating in four Nigerian universities –Ahmadu Bello, Bayero (Kano), Adamawa State and Ilorin . The SAFE program in Usman Danfodio University Sokoto has been established with the students admitted and all curriculum developed and in place.

Our (SG 2000) strength is in our ability to effectively disseminate new ideas and we insist on evidence-based extension delivery system

Dr. Esther Afor Ibrahim (Mrs), Thematic Coordinator, Post Harvest and Agro- Processing Extension programme, SAA/SG 2000, Nigeria

When the World Bank support to Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs) ended in 1990s, the ADPs went into comatose and naturally, the agricultural extension delivery services went down with serious consequences to the resource poor farmers. SG 2000 came at a  right time and aggressively filled the gap left by the moribund ADPs.  Today SG 2000 has taken the driver seat in providing agricultural extension services to teeming farmers of Nigeria. However, it is gratifying to note that SG 2000 approach is injecting life into ADPs. This is because SG 2000 uses the ADP structure and personnel in each state to deliver services to farmers of that state. This way, ADPs are empowered and farmers lots are improved. I urge other NGOs to borrow leaf from SG 2000 and hope that states governments  will continue to create enabling environment for the NGOs like SG 2000 to operate in their states for the benefits of their farmers.

Professor M. A. Hussain, BUK, Kano State

There is no gain saying that since inception in 1992 SASSAKAWA Global 2000 has contributed tremendously in moving or catalyzing agricultural development in Nigeria through effective and efficient extension delivery system which is largely based on regular training of personnel and provision of enabling environment for effective service delivery to clients. Through this approach SG 2000 has improved farmers access to improved inputs especially high yielding crop varieties, appropriate agronomic practices, and stabilized better linkages credit and markets. The overall outcome of these support services by SG 2000 has improved farmers’ ability to take well informed decisions regarding their production enterprises. This has resulted in enhanced crop yields with concomitant increase in farmers’ incomes and rural livelihoods. There is every reason to believe that the strategy which supported the excellent performance of SG 2000 could provide Nigeria with the necessary framework for rapid increase in crop productivity and food security in the country. Further, it is apparent from the organization’s success story that both Federal and states government in Nigeria needed to urgently support the ADPs to improve on their current extension delivery services. It also it underscored the need for the government to create enabling environment for the development/emergence of NGOs/CBOs in the country to support and promote widespread adoption of improved agricultural technologies and practices. Similarly, SG 2000 should rise up to improve on its services for greater impacts in the country by increasing area of coverage. The current challenges due to economic down turn in Nigeria and the biophysical constraints to crop production require ingenious approach and strategies on the part of SG 2000, for improved delivery services. Bravo to SG 2000 and Bravo to Leadership Friday for giving us this Column.

Prof. Ibrahim M. Baba, TAMASA Project, IITA, Ibadan