Originally published on cgiar.org by:International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on Sep 7, 2009

Farmers participating in a CA$ 7 million (US$ 6.33 million) Canadian-supported sustainable agriculture project in northern Nigeria have seen an 81 per cent increase in their incomes over the past 5 years from improved yields, better access to farm inputs and social empowerment - key interventions of the project.

Government officials, participants and local partners say the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)-funded PROSAB - Promoting Sustainable Agriculture in Borno State - which is implemented by IITA has helped significantly increase agricultural productivity and build the capacity of thousands of farmers in the northern Nigeria state.

"This [initiative] is commendable," says Borno State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, at a conference that ended Wednesday, September 2, in the state's capital of Maiduguri. The event also marked the closing of PROSAB, which began in 2004.

Researchers from IITA and partners from the University of Maiduguri, Borno State Agricultural Development, introduced improved crop varieties, trained farmers on improved agronomic practices and above all promoted gender equality, especially empowerment of women, in agricultural development.

"PROSAB has helped us freely interact with our male counterparts in development projects. We are not ashamed anymore," says Ruth Dasika Mshelia, a mother of five children and a participant of the project. Borno state is predominantly Islamic, with social interactions between men and women largely restricted by religious norms.

The Governor, who was represented by his deputy, Adamu Dibal, says his government will upscale the project to further reduce poverty in the state just as he called on the state's Agricultural Development Program to educate farmers on best agricultural practices. He also welcomed the participation of women in the program.

Amare Tegbaru, IITA-PROSAB Manager, says the program has also improved the nutrition of farmers, especially children. "Farmers in the project area who adopted improved technologies and management practices experienced increased food availability and livelihood. Also considerable progress has been made in addressing the problems of declining soil fertility and Striga," he says.

Ako Amadi, CIDA representative, says the success of the project signals more coming projects not only for Nigeria but more so for West Africa.

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For more information, please contact:

Dr Amare Tegbaru, a.tegbaru@cgiar.org
PROSAB Manager
IITA-Nigeria

Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (West & Central Africa)

Jeffrey T Oliver
Corporate Communications Officer (International)

Communication Office
IITA-Headquarters
Ibadan, Nigeria

URL: www.iita.org


About IITA
Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people's lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the CGIAR.