In Nigeria’s Plateau State, smallholder potato farmers irrigate a demonstration farm.
The Plateau State is one of Nigeria’s largest potato producers, but it has yet to live up to its full potential. Many farmers lack access to improved varieties of potato seed, which has resulted in lower yields and incomes.
Smallholder potato farmers in the Acting Now programme are on a transformative journey to greater food security through practical training, financial resources and new seed varieties to reinvigorate their farms.
As part of the Acting Now programme, Solidaridad selected 32 farms to serve as demonstration sites that provide a practical learning location and a vital source for high-quality seeds and seedlings.
Farmers at these 32 sites received and then planted over 1,500 kilograms of seven different disease-resistant varieties of potato seed adapted to the local environment. The seeds were planted in November 2023 and carefully irrigated to encourage germination to ensure the seedlings were ready for the upcoming farming season.
After three months, the participants at the demonstration farms harvested a total of 3,227 kg of potato seedlings from the demonstration farms. This has boosted the farmers’ confidence, and some are now growing and selling seedlings to other farmers within their communities. With a steady supply of quality seedlings, it has now become an achievable goal to grow food throughout the year.
The harvested seedlings were then distributed to other participating farmers as part of the Farmers’ Inputs Delivery and Investment Scheme (FIDIS), an initiative of the Acting Now programme. The FIDIS operates on a credit system through community farmer groups (CFGs), which enable farmers to procure quality seeds upfront and then repay the loan at a later date. The repaid funds are then channeled back into the CFGs to facilitate the procurement and distribution of inputs during planting seasons.
“Supporting smallholder farmers with potato seeds and encouraging their investment not only benefits the farmers, but also contributes to broader agricultural development goals, including poverty alleviation, resilient local food systems, enhanced input delivery, food security, and sustainable rural development,” says Kenechukwu Onukwube, the programme manager for Solidaridad in Nigeria.
Solidaridad aims to increase food resilience for roughly 4,000 households in Plateau State through the programme. Farmers, like Fwanshak Iliya, said that the practical knowledge gained from the demonstration farm has been a game-changer.
I have become a seedling vendor in my community. I established a farm to grow seedlings with the knowledge gained from the demonstration farms. This farming season, I earn 120,000 naira (69 euros) selling seedlings to farmers in my community. I have just discovered an additional source of income.
Fwanshak Iliya, Nigerian potato farmer
With Acting Now, Solidaridad is working with farmers to break through barriers. The programme addresses the challenge of low quality inputs and works to provide farmers with the resources and knowledge they need to ensure the continuous supply of potatoes.
About Acting Now
The Acting Now programme targets 12,000 farmers in Nigeria, and supports the sustainable production of fish, potatoes, maize, fruits and vegetables in the states of Kaduna, Kano, Plateau and Ogun. The initiative is designed to provide farmers with knowledge and skills for sustainable production and addresses vulnerable food production systems in the country. Additionally, it supports entrepreneurship, promotes technology integration, enhances financial literacy, and facilitates market access.
The programme is funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands as part of a comprehensive effort to transform the agricultural landscapes within implementing countries. In Nigeria, Acting Now seeks to increase farmer resilience by establishing robust farms and food systems that can mitigate the effects of climate change, while increasing food security for those in need.