Rice and cassava farmers in Nasarawa State have recorded surplus harvests in the 2025 farming season following targeted interventions under the Federal Government and International Fund for Agricultural Development (FGN/IFAD) Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP).
The gains, driven by improved farming practices, certified planting materials and sustained farmer training, mark a significant shift from earlier years of low productivity and seed wastage, positioning smallholder agriculture as a pathway to sustainable livelihoods and rural employment.
The State Programme Coordinator of the FGN/IFAD VCDP, Dr Eunice Adgidzi, disclosed this in Lafia during a one-day media roundtable convened to review the programme’s achievements and challenges in 2025.
According to Adgidzi, baseline assessments conducted at the programme’s inception in 2020 revealed that many rice farmers relied on broadcasting seeds rather than nursery raising and transplanting, a practice that resulted in poor yields and inefficient use of inputs.
Through structured research, extension support and capacity-building initiatives, farmers were trained in improved agronomic practices, leading to significant productivity gains.
“From where they were, rice yields have improved to about 4.5 metric tonnes per hectare, compared to what farmers harvested previously,” she said.
Cassava farmers particpating inthe programme have also benefited from certified, disease-resistant and drought-tolerant planting materials, achieving yields of up to two metric tonnes per hectare. These interventions are particularly relevant as climate variability increasingly affects crop performance across Nigeria’s food-producing regions.
The VCDP currently supports farmers in five local government areas: Lafia, Doma, Wamba, Karu and Nasarawa, where efforts are focused on strengthening rice and cassava value chains, reducing post-harvest losses and improving access to productive assets and finance.
Adgidzi noted that the programme goes beyond yield improvement, addressing environmental degradation, limited access to quality inputs and weak market linkages that constrain rural incomes and youth participation in agriculture.
“Our objective is to sustainably improve the livelihoods of rural farmers. That is why we promote certified seeds and climate-resilient practices rather than the use of grains as planting materials,” she said.
Also speaking at the event, the Knowledge Management and Communication Officer of the FGN/IFAD VCDP in Nasarawa State, Samson Jonah, commended journalists for their consistent coverage of the programme throughout 2025.
He described the media as critical partners in extending the programme’s reach to rural communities and ensuring accurate documentation of development outcomes.
Jonah explained that the roundtable was organised to strengthen collaboration with the media, improve reporting standards, and align documentation with donor expectations, while addressing gaps associated with poor data capture.
Source: Vanguard
Image Credit: Punch
