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).
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