Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) Concept: NAERLS Feats for Improving Outputs of Public Irrigation Schemes in Nigeria II

The famous roles of National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) in technology transfer was explained in the first part of this article last week. NAERLS being the only national research centre with mandate for agricultural extension research and liaison services  has led a consistent collective effort of testing and perfecting the Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) concept in some pilot irrigation Projects. It eventually promoted the adoption and utilization of the PIM strategy in different  Irrigation Schemes in Nigeria for over two decades. This has allowed the generation of rich experiences and lessons as well as capacity development of the various actors and institutions involved. What are the impacts of NAERLS strategy to the public irrigation schemes? What are the challenges and the way forward?

Basically, NAERLS carries out research in technology development, transfer, adoption processes and extension methodology, research tools development and strategies. It collaborates with other research institutes in Nigeria and outside the country to conduct subject matter research. The institute coordinates the activities of Research – Extension - Farmer – Input Linkage – System (REFILS) nationwide. Similarly, it coordinates national/zonal agricultural capacity building targeting farmers, policy makers, investors, students, extension personnel and corporate bodies. NAERLS has consistently been known for its field problems identification, feedback to the research centres and documentations. NAERLS develops and maintains agricultural databank for easy access to the relevant stakeholders especially by international organizations, government agencies, private investors who are ready consumers of its extension materials (journals, bulletins, guides, television and radio programmes). 

In order to cover Nigeria better, NAERLS strategically operates six (6) zonal offices. The North East Office is in Maiduguri; the North West in Kano; the North Central in Bedeggi, Niger State; the South West in Moor Plantation Ibadan, the South East in Umudike, Enugu State and the South-South (which came up in 2013) is operating from Port-Harcourt. This way the institute has contributed immensely to the development, promotion and adoption of best practices like the Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM), Community- Based Agric Extension Approach, (warehouse receipt system, many labour saving devices (irrigation/ grandnut oil processing machines), production and distribution of more than 3 million copies of agricultural publications and  more than fifty completed research reports.

PIM refers to the process in which all the stakeholders in a particular irrigation scheme influence policy formulation, alternative design, investment decisions and management decisions affecting their irrigation project, communities and establishing the necessary sense of ownership of the scheme.

In Nigeria, the mode of managing public irrigation schemes has been that of full agency (government) control, agency operation and agency maintenance while the beneficiaries of the irrigation scheme are concerned with sourcing of inputs and extension services. With increase of irrigation schemes across the nation over the years, government has found it increasingly difficult to secure funds that can adequately meet the cost of irrigation system operation and maintenance. This has led to general lack of maintenance of irrigation and drainage infrastructure with attendance consequences of poor irrigation services, low productivity and reduction in irrigation command area. The outputs for many irrigation schemes sharply declined thereby reducing farmers' income and productivity. PIM offers the best option for revitalizing the otherwise moribund schemes back to life. It makes farmers share cost of operation, maintenance and decision making. NAERLS led the revitalization. 

The first pilot project of PIM promotion in Nigeria was tested in Hadejia Valley Irrigation Project (HVIP) under a 4 - year collaborative programme between NAERLS and International Centre for Agricultural Research and Development (CIRAD), Montpellier, France with financial support of French Embassy in Nigeria. France has an excellent experience in tropical agriculture, either semi - arid or humid, because of colonial presence and continuous commitment to African development since independence. France is one of the few industrial nations, along USA, UK, Japan to maintain a tropical agricultural research capable of training high level manpower in tropical crops, food policy and to play an active role in the international debate on rural development.

HVIP is located along the valley of River Hadejia near Auyo village in Jigawa state and the scheme was selected for the PIM promotion because of its uniqueness; it was relatively new with new set of irrigation farmers, with little or no experience in irrigated agriculture. At the time of the intervention, there were catalogues of problems ranging from low cropping intensity, poor marketing of agricultural produce, siltation of irrigation canals, weak institutional organizations and many others. Those problems made HVIP performed abysmally with little or no significant improvement in agricultural productivity of the area.

 The 4 - year promotion of PIM concept in HVIP yielded tangible results; irrigation farmers were organized into eight formidable Water Users Associations (WUAs) and formation of federated WUA, which had representations from the eight irrigation sectors. WUAs were vibrantly participating in the management of the irrigation scheme. They cleaned, repaired and maintained a cumulative length of 317.04 km of field channel, 66.74 km of distributory canal, 105.33 km of field drains and 11.45 km of collector drains. This task was worth millions of Naira but shouldered by the farmers thereby lifting the budgetary constraint from the agency. The overall agricultural productivity was multiplied in six folds within the same period.

  The results of HVIP pilot intervention were applauded  at the stakeholders'  workshop when it became clear that operation and maintenance of irrigation schemes required cost sharing with the beneficiaries. It was clear that the cost sharing is a worthwhile venture for higher productivity and sustainability. Thus, the success of the pilot project fronted the government to realized the need to adopt PIM concept as a management strategy in the public irrigation schemes across the nation.   Therefore, the Federal government accepted to promote the PIM concept in the public irrigation scheme as a strategy for the scheme to meet standard requirements of economic and financial viability in forms of increase productivity, income to small scale farmers, food security and safeguard the environment. Implementation of PIM concept could facilitate the achievement of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) of the then Federal Administration. Thus, a 7 – phase intervention and train – the – trainer programme were designed to be implemented within 15 months with financial support of Federal Ministry of Water Resources. The Ministry engaged the services of  NAERLS, as the vanguard of PIM promoter in Nigeria. NAERLS became a  service provider for the programme implementation under MDG project. NAERLS was selected because of the recognition that it led the successful PIM implementation in HVIP and Kano River Irrigation Project (KRIP) with active collaboration of international experts from CIRAD, CEMAGREF France and neighbouring countries such as Niger, Mali republics for over a decade.

The 12 selected irrigation schemes were located in 12 states across the nation. They were;

1.     Sepeteri Irrigation Project in Saki east LGA, Oyo State under Ogun – Osun River Basin Development Authority, Abeokuta 

2.    Ayo –Iludun  Irrigation Project in Ileje – Meje LGA, Ekiti State under Benin-Owena, River Basin Development  Authority Benin City

3.    Duku-lade Irrigation Project in Pategi LGA, Kwara State under Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority Ilorin

4.    Zobe valley Irrigation project in Dutsinma LGA, Katsina State under Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority Sokoto 

5.    Niger Valley Irrigation Project in Bagudo LGA Sokoto State under Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority Sokoto 

6.    Middle Rima, Irrigation Project in Goronyo LGA Sokoto State under Sokoto Rima River Basin Development Authority Sokoto 

7.    Tallum Irrigation Project in Shelleng LGA Adamawa State under Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority Yola 

8.    Ejule- Ojebe Irrigation Project in Ibaji LGA Kogi State under Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority Makurdi  

9.    Ibu Irrigation Project in Okigwe LGA Abia State under Anambra, Imo River Basin Development, Owerri 

10. Onion Nung Ndem Irrigation Project in Onna LGA Akwa-Ibom State under Cross River Basin Development Authority Calabar 

11.  Anya-Mogbia Irrigation Project in Oybia LGA Bayelsa State under Niger-Delta River Basin Development Authority Port-Harcourt

12. Ilah-Ibu Irrigation Project in Oshimili LGA Delta State under Benin-Owenna River Basin Development Authority Benin

A 15 - months rigorous intervention by NAERLS in these 12 irrigation schemes recorded successes in many areas. Irrigation and drainage systems were optimally operated and maintained thus, increasing water use efficiency. Yields of crops were doubled through use of improved varieties and extension services while tripling the cropping intensity. New crops/farming practices were similarly introduced in many schemes. Income generation to the farmers was diversified as the concept of value addition was introduced to many crops.

In conclusion, PIM concept was successfully implemented in many public irrigation schemes nationwide with  outstanding results for higher productivity and sustainability. It is one of the promising ways of increasing food production to achieve food security for the teeming Nigerian population (Concluded). 

 

Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) Concept: NAERLS Feats for Improving Outputs of Public Irrigation Schemes in Nigeria

At the beginning of this year, 2016, Nigeria was estimated to have 185 million people, the largest in Africa and the seventh in the world. To clearly understand the Nigerian demography, one should read a brilliant demographic analysis made by Sanusi Abubakar, an ace columnist of Daily Trust Newspaper in its edition of Tuesday 28/6/2016. The analysis shows that Nigeria has an average birth rate of 850 babies per hour and an average death rate of 280 people per hour giving a population increase of 570 people per hour,  13,491 people per day and 4.92 million people per year. At this rate, Nigeria will reach 263 million by 2030 and 400 million by 2050, which will make the country to be the third most populous in the world.

One of the major challenges of this demographic change is producing sufficient food for every soul in the country. The challenge of making Nigeria self sufficient in food production is a herculean one, considering the current trend in food production, which has made the country to resort to massive food importation. Food imports in Nigeria have been growing at an alarming rate of 11% per annum since the 1980s. From recent government statistics (ATA documents), Nigeria was reported to be the world largest importer of wheat from USA with an annual import of N635 billion. It was also the second largest importer of rice (N356 billion), sugar (N217 billion), fish (N97 billion) and many other staple food items with great local production potentials. With more population, more foods will be needed on the table as there is no alternative solution to hunger except food. How can Nigeria produce sufficient foods to meet the requirements of this teeming population? Use of irrigation facilities in our farming system is one of the answers to this nagging question. Irrigation will increase productivity and promote multiple cropping per annum on a single farm land as against one annual cropping with only rain-fed production. Therefore, revamping irrigated agriculture in Nigeria can provide the most effective opportunity to improve rural livelihoods in particular and food security nationwide. It is most likely revamp the economy and enhance gross national products.

Irrigation is artificial application of water to farm land for optimum crops growth and yields. Irrigation can transform agricultural production and raise hopes in man’s efforts and aspiration to achieve food and nutrition security. Irrigation increases yields of most crops by 100 to 400 percent per land per season. Globally, total irrigated land is reported to be about 16 percent of the total cultivated land, but the output is about 40 percent of total production making the contribution of irrigation quite significant. Adopting irrigated agriculture is thus, one key strategy for increasing food production per unit area. However, indiscriminate adoption of irrigation system increases water utilization for crops.  FAO reports that agriculture accounts for 70 percent of all water uses as crops are massive water users. In many developing countries, the figure is as high as 85 to 95 percent of total water usage. In fact, irrigated agriculture is by far the largest water user globally. In view of the competing needs for water, concerns in irrigated agriculture have gradually shifted to increasing the efficiency of water use and the management of losses in irrigation schemes to increase the water use efficiency.  Unfortunately, the requisite technical skills and experts with collective discipline for these undertakings are lacking in most irrigation schemes in Nigeria. This is one constraint that led to dilapidated conditions of irrigation infrastructure in public irrigation schemes across the nation.

The Federal Government of Nigeria had in the past committed huge resources to develop facilities for irrigated agriculture in its bid to ensure national food security. Both formal and informal irrigation schemes have been established. The formal (public) irrigation schemes are under the direct control of the 12 River Basin Development Authorities (RBDAs) across the nation. At the time of establishing these public irrigation schemes in the 70s and 80s, the irrigation command areas developed were more than 500,000 hectares across the 100 schemes nationwide. Unfortunately, owing to poor management, infrastructural decay and dwindling resource allocations, the command area of these 12 RBDAs dropped to less than 100,000 hectares by the year 2010. It was really a sad and unfortunately situation.

The changes that occurred at the formal irrigation subsector in Nigeria within the last two to three decades are as rapid as they are numerous. Within this period, government divulged itself from complete control and management of the formal irrigation sub-sector through the RBDAs. The downturn in the nations’ economy had worsened the situation and ushered in additional reductions in public funding of the RBDAs.  The consequences of these changes over the years were the decay of the irrigation infrastructures in most of the public irrigation schemes across the nation. Sometimes in the 2010s, the capacity utilization of these public irrigation schemes was evaluated to be a mere 18%, which caused serious concern to the nation. This concern was among the justifying factors for National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) to initiate and promote the concept of Participatory Irrigation Management to few pilot irrigation projects at first as a test case.  During the testing period, NAERLS perfected it and expanded to 12 selected irrigation schemes across the nation.    

Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM), as a broad and flexible strategy has two dimensions- management and participation. Management of an irrigation scheme is concerned with control and use of irrigation infrastructures for higher productivity. Four basic options of management control of irrigation schemes are recognized: Government's Sole Control; Government dominates and Users help; Users dominate and Government facilitates and Sole Users Control. PIM is concerned with the level of farmers’ participation in management decision. Different levels of participation recognized in PIM include: no participation; information sharing; consultation; shared decision-making; and full decision-making. Participation of all Stakeholders is vital to the sustainable transfer of management from Government to Users in public irrigation schemes. Various transfer scenarios are possible but the potential power of PIM as a management strategy that meets overall development objectives, lies in the balanced pursuit of both user participation and control.

Basically, NAERLS carries out research in technology development, transfer, adoption processes and extension methodology, tools methods and strategies. It collaborates with other research institutes in Nigeria and outside the country to conduct subject matter research. The institute coordinates the activities of Research – Extension - Farmer – Input Linkage – System (REFILS) nationwide. Similarly, it coordinates national/zonal agricultural capacity building targeting farmers, policy makers, investors, students, extension personnel and corporate bodies. NAERLS has consistently been known for its field problems identification, feedback to the research centres and documentations. NAERLS develops and maintains agricultural databank for easy access to the relevant stakeholders especially by international organizations, government agencies, private investors who are ready consumers of its extension materials (journals, bulletins, guides, television and radio programmes). 

In order to cover Nigeria better, NAERLS strategically operates six (6) zonal offices. The North East Office is in Maiduguri; the North West in Kano; the North Central in Bedeggi, Niger State; the South West in Moor Plantation Ibadan, the South East in Umudike, Enugu State and the South-South (which came up in 2013) is operating from PortHarcourt. This way the institute has contributed immensely to the development, promotion and adoption of best practices like the Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM), Community- Based Agric Extension Approach, (Warehouse Receipt System, many labour saving devices (irrigation/ Grand nut oil processing machines), production and distribution of more than 3 million copies of agricultural publications and  more than fifty completed research reports.

Thus, NAERLS has led a consistent collective effort of testing and perfecting the PIM concept in some pilot Projects and eventually promoted the adoption and utilization of the strategy in different Irrigation Schemes in Nigeria for over two decades. This has allowed the generation of rich experiences and lessons as well as capacity development of the various actors and institutions involved. What are the impacts of NAERLS strategy (promotion of PIM) to the public irrigation schemes? What are the challenges and the way forward?  (To be continued) Click to read the Newspaper version 

   

Readers' Reactions and Comment

Educational Feats of Nigerians in Diaspora: Food for Thought

In my last week article on "Educational Feats of Nigerians in Diaspora: Food for Thought", some readers called my attention to the inconclusiveness of the the article. It ended with "but...". This is regretted and might have been cut due to space limitation of the Column.  I hereby reproduce the missing paragraph for the completeness of the article: "In conclusion, this 3 – parts article has shown that the receipt of 16 awards by Nigerians out of a total of 27 awards presented in Howard University, Washington D.C, USA was a zenith of Nigerian performance educationally, a feat not easily achieved by any country.  That, with a favourable environment, motivation and right leadership, Nigerians can excel in all facets of national development. There are many unknown Desayo Ajisegiris, Philip Emeagwalis, Sarki Abba Abdulkadir, Jelanis here in Nigeria but the situation (internal and external factors) made them to be unknown heroes with a huge and unquantifiable loss to the nation. Can President Buhari change the trend and elevate the educational sector to a deservedly higher and enviable position? While we are fervently praying for his government to succeed, the whole saga is a “food for thought”. (concluded) 

 Now, a comment from one of the readers of this Column;

Dear Othman,

Thanks for your interesting column, the article published Friday 17/6/16, in which you discussed about some outstanding Nigerians in Diaspora was particularly very interesting. Indeed, many Nigerians abroad are making us proud, from undergraduate level to postgraduate. The likes of Zainab Usman, a Ph.D student in Oxford, UK, and Adamu Tilde, who recently completed his Masters with a CGPA of 4.7 in animal biotechnology from Hungary, and many more. Nigerians are intelligent and excel anywhere they go, and we still have them back here home. So, I think your column should go beyond intelligent Nigerians in Diaspora. Let's try to feature the ones we have right in the country as well. We have them everywhere, and am sure you are aware of the UNILAG student who graduated with 5.0 recently. We have them in A.B.U, Open University, and many other Institutions of learning.

Muntaka Dabo, MSc Student, Information Technology, National Open University of Nigeria

Educational Feats of Nigerians in Diaspora: Food for Thoughts III

Educational Feats of Nigerians in Diaspora: Food for Thoughts III

The issue of Poor Physical infrastructure in most of the public tertiary Institutions of learning was presented in the last week article. Classrooms, lecture theatres and laboratories in most universities colleges and polytechnics are still jam-packed with students. Equipment and consumables are grossly lacking, inadequate or outdated; Kerosene stoves are still being used as Bunsen burners in some laboratories. Students' Practical for Engineering and related disciplines takes place under zinc sheds and trees. This issue is certainly a serious impediment to teaching and learning in our educational institutions. Governments at local, state and federal levels have to wake up from their slumber to squarely address the poor physical infrastructure in our tertiary institutions of learning to enable Nigerians realize their potentials.

2. Poor Research Funding and lack of research direction; another internal factor, militating against effective teaching in these citadel centres of learning is poor funding to research. More than 70% of the undergraduate and postgraduate students’ research works in Nigeria are funded by the students themselves. Why should research work be funded by the researcher? Society is the ultimate user of a research result and should therefore pay for the research. With school fees charged at postgraduate level and other related expenses, students find it difficult to fund their research works and thus, produce poor research result. This make students to look for a research topic requiring minimum cost, in the process, our research works loss direction. In Nigeria, it is common to find several unrelated research works in a single Department going on at same time, no synergy. Research works are yet to occupy their rightful place in our developmental effort as a nation; for instance, in the annual budget, research works in the Research Institutes are placed under capital projects, yet less than 50 % of the approved funds for capital projects are released to the Institutes nationwide. This has been happening in the last 7 years. With this scenario, how can scientists conduct good research for our national development when about 50% of the research funds are released?  The key to the development of Nigeria in the 21^st century lies in its ability to produce applied and theoretical knowledge in science and technology through good research and development. Nevertheless, there are pockets of research works with promising results. These are researches funded by TETFUND and other donor agencies, which are limited and only accessible to few researchers. There has to be a deliberate government policy to involve private sector in funding of research in our tertiary Institutions.

3. Poor welfare packages to Students; majority of students in the tertiary institutions enjoy limited health services, sporting facilities and hostel accommodation. As rightly observed by Needs Assessment committee, "The provision of decent hostel accommodation to at least 50% of the student population in any residential (public owned) university is proving to be an uphill task for Nigerian universities. There has been, over the last two decades, an upsurge of students’ population in almost all Nigerian universities but there was no commensurate improvement of accommodation and other student services.  Consequently, there is a lot of pressure on the available accommodation facilities. As a result, there is rapid deterioration of hostel facilities, overcrowding and undue congestion in rooms, overstretched lavatory and laundry facilities, poor sanitation, etc". Unfortunately, this situation is still prevailing as many students reside off campus in private accommodation, which is a constraint to a good learning environment. It is the responsibility of the government, being the sole owner of these institutions of learning to address these services to make the environment conducive for teaching and learning.

4. Perennial Labour industrial action: industrial actions perennially embarked by the different labour unions in our tertiary institutions of learning contribute to unfavourable condition for the progress of education in Nigeria. Although, the previous strikes embarked by Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) were necessary and such actions were responsible for making government to positive interventions in the sector. Without ASUU persistent struggles, the university system would totally collapsed and many Nigerians would not be taking their children to public universities, just like what is happening to LEA primary schools across the nation. Currently, ASUU has all the reasons to resume its suspended strike but for the patriotism of members and leadership; and clear understanding of the nation economic bad situation. For instance, the issue of the unpaid Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) is likely to make the academic and non -academic staff restive across the nation, if nothing is done as soon as possible. ASUU in its communiqué issued at the end of 19^th National Delegates Conference between 6^th and 8^th May held at the University of Uyo stated that “Federal and State governments failed to pay the balance of EAA, as in the 2009 agreement and the 2013 MoU, despite numerous letters of reminder to the appropriate authorities in the Ministry, National Assembly and the Presidency”.  ASUU further warned on the consequences of government failure to implement the agreement/MoU; “The consequences of the violation of the agreement and MoU is that the process of revitalizing Nigerian universities is failing. Although the Federal government should have released N495 billion for 2014, 2015 and first quarter of 2016 of the agreed 1.3 trillion Needs Assessment Intervention Fund (NAIF) for revitalization of public universities, no money up till now has been released as agreed in 2013 MoU after the initial release of 200 billion for 2013”. EAA is one of the many issues that are yet to be fully implemented as contained in the MoU signed between ASUU and Federal government in 2013. While we are fervently praying not have another cycle of strike in our university system, but the earlier these issues are adequately addressed the better for the educational system.   

Space limitation cannot allow me to serialize all the internal factors militating against Nigerians achieving their potentials in Nigeria while pursuing their educational careers. However, these internal factors are directly related to the external factors. The most pertinent among the external factors is the underfunding of educational system in Nigeria.

Gross underfunding of education over the last decade has been largely responsible of the dilapidating condition and decade of the educational system. How grossly was Nigerian educational system underfunded? One of the ace columnists brilliantly captured the situation in his weekly column on 15^th November, 2013. He wrote “with its 129 universities, 100-odd polytechnics and 85 colleges of education and a very I-don’t-care attitude to higher education, Nigeria spends less than 1 per cent of its Gross National Income [0.85% to be precise]; while four of its smaller English-speaking African compatriot-states spend multiples of that: Ghana [2.85%], Egypt [3.9%], Zimbabwe [5.4%] and South Africa [7%]. And while the percentage of education expenditure to total national expenditure in Nigeria is a paltry 8.4%, South Africa spends 20%, Morocco spends 26.4%, Botswana 25.6% and French-speaking Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire spend 25.6% and 21.5% respectively”. Although, Nigeria had the opportunity to change this trend up to the middle of last year, 2015 when crude oil was selling at over 100 USD per barrel and Nigeria was trading over 2 million barrels a day, yet the generated funds were not invested in education. Today, Nigeria earns less than half of what it was earning 15 months ago from the sales of oil, which unfortunately is the mainstay of the economy. This has made it very difficult for Nigeria to make a drastic change and improve the educational system despite the concerted effort being made by the current Nigerian leadership.

Consequently, the 2016 budget does not provide the expected hope to the managers of the university system. ASUU cried out the implication of the 2016 budget allocation to the education sector in its recent communiqué published this week. ASUU said “the 2016 budget and allocation to education; the union took steps to draw the attention of the government to the inadequacies in the allocation in the controversial 2016 budget, which came to a meagre 8 % of the total budget. The allocation negates the spirit and letters of the FGN-ASUU agreement of 2009, where government agreed to progressively increase budgetary allocation to 26% as recommended by UNESCO. The allocation also undermines the avowed promise of the current government to provide free higher education in the area of science and technology as a way of scaling up the country’s development process”. It is therefore pertinent that government should double the funds for education sector with a clear strategy for prudent use of such funds.

In conclusion, this 3 – parts article has shown that the winning of 16 awards out of a total of 27 awards by Nigerians in Howard University, Washington D.C, USA was a zenith of Nigerian performance educationally, a feat no country has achieved to the best of knowledge. That, providing a favourable environment, motivation and right leadership, Nigerians can excels in all facets of national development. There are many unknown Desayo Ajisegiris, Philip Emeagwalis, Sarki Abba Abdulkadir, Jelanis here in Nigeria but the situation (internal and external factors) made them to be unknown heroes with a huge and unquantifiable loss to the nation. Can President Buhari change the trend and elevate educational sector to a higher position of success? While we are fervently praying for his government to succeed, the whole saga is a food for thought (concluded)