of 2.3/3, compared to 2.2 in 2008. The Bank Group is ideally suited to supporting Nigeria through this intervention because: (i) the Bank Group has gained useful experiences in the development of the agriculture sector; and (ii) the partnerships with other technical and development agencies such as the Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research system (IITA, ICRISAT and AfricaRice), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and others is an asset that the Bank can draw upon. Synergies and complementarities has been developed in on-going projects to sustain their achievements through ATASP-1 in the fields of infrastructure development, capacity development, science and technology, access to financial services and outgrowers' schemes or contract farming. Several studies were conducted in relevant areas, such as infrastructure surveys for the four PZs, and value chain assessments for the priority commodities, which guided the Bank's design approach. The Program is also in line with the Bank's Agricultural Sector Strategy (AgSS) (2010-2014) which emphasizes investment in agricultural infrastructure as means of boosting agricultural productivity, food and nutrition security, and wealth creation; and Bank's Strategy (2013-2022) as it pertains to inclusive growth objective through the involvement of youth, women and skills development. It is also in alignment with Pillar 2 (improving rural infrastructure and traderelated capacities for market access) and Pillar 3 (increasing food supply and reducing hunger) of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP). Furthermore, the Program is relevant to Pillar I (Linking Regional Markets) of the Regional Integration Strategy Paper of March 2011by potential increase in volumes of processed food commodities transported to landlocked countries such as Niger and Chad through rehabilitated access and trunk roads. 1.3 Purpose of the Study
Many technologies have been disseminated to boost cassava, sorghum and rice production through the effort of the intervention ATASP-1 program introduced by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The need to gauge how these technologies have really helped to increase crop productivity since inception and the need to increase agricultural productivity through the use of improved agricultural technologies and practices by the smallholder farmers in the face of acute food shortage and worsened living conditions necessitate this study. Nigeria is by far the largest agricultural producer of staple crops in ECOWAS. The most important crops for Nigeria are root crops and tubers on the one hand, and grains on the other. Root crops and tubers of which cassava is paramount account for more than two-thirds of staples grown in Nigeria. Nigeria's is the world's leading producer of cassava. Though, domestic cassava production has increased greatly since the late 1990s primarily due to the expansion/increase of farmed land, but cassava yield has stagnated at a low level (12t/h) on the national average. While the production of staple foods has risen sharply over the last twentyfive years, production cannot yet cover the rising demand for staples, particularly grains. Nigeria alone grows about 50% of the total production in West Africa. As is the case in nearly all West African countries, rise in grain production is due largely to the expansion of cultivated land than
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