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Vanguard, FRIDA¥. I'WARCH 4. 2011
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111: alleviating poverty through agriculture ByBENAGBO en Fadama III project was conceived in 2009, the main target of the scheme was to reduce poverty in Nigeria among the very less privileged, through agricultural practices that would be assisted by the World Bank, the three tiers of government and the involved organized groups. That project has been on course in all the 36 states of the country, including the Federal capital Territory (FCT) particularly in Enugu State where almost all the interest communities and groups in the state have been impacted by the project arising, first, from the peoples will to help themselves backed up by support by all the three tiers of government and the World bank. Fadama is actually an Hausa name for irrigable land usually luw-lying plains underlain by shallow aquifers found along major river systems. Fadama lands are suitable for dry season cultivation; hence the concept is often referred to as dry season. farming. Fadama III project was therefore a World Bank Assisted Po"crty Reduction Project involving a'Jricultural diversification with devei_opnlent objective to incres_se and sustain the tncomf!S of Fadama users, that. i~., those who depend directly or indirectly on Fadama resources, like crop farmers, livestock farmers, fish fanners, among other types of farming. The strategy in Fadama III is a demand-driven approach in which all users of Fadama resources are encouraged and assisted to develop participatory and socially inclusive Local Development Plan (LDP) to enable them to take care of their own development agenda. In Enugu State, 89 Local Development Plans (LDPs) otherwise known as feasibility study has been produced with each LDP containing a. minimum of 10 registered Agricultural COdperative Societies \\Chich in Fadama Project is called Padama Users Group (FUGs) a'.ld these Panama Users Groups on each LDP have one apex Organization called Fadama Community Association (FCA) , registered u::der the slate laws a e a cooperative society. It is through this apex FCA that the user groups under them access the Fadama grants from the International Development Agency (IDA). The FCAs also embark on sub-projects that are jointly owned by the PUGs under· them and which they all stand to gain from, such as feeder roads, cold rooms, bore holes, markets, small bridges and culvert construction, feed stores, etc. Available records reveal that the Enugu State Fadama Project had disbursed more than one hundred and thirty million Naira (N130, 000,000) to 36 Fadama Community Associations (FCAs) and 366 Fadama User Groups (FUGs) that embarked on different pmjects such as feeder roads, cold rool11 busin'"ss ventures, feed stores, crop producU.'Jr, and processin~T. Livestock/fis}" 'J lTrpduclion and 1'1'0-
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Enugu State coordinator for FADAMA 111, Mrs. Amalea UzoechiTUl, presenting cheques to beneficiaries.
of marketing. While disbursement to the remaining FCAs and FUGs are on-going, the Coordinator of the project in the State, Mrs. Amaka Okenwa-Uzoechina said that the expectation is that by the end
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The strategy in Fadama III is a demand-driven approach in which all users of Fadama resources are encouraged and assisted to develop partici.patory and socially inclusive Local Development Plan (LDP) to enable them to take care of their own development iltg~nda
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of the project in 2013, about 170 Fadama CommunHy Associations as well as 2, 650 Fadama User Groups must have been empowered, to take charge of their own development agenda, thus reducing poverty in the State. She noted thJ:lt Fc3d ~lna Coordination Office as "'{ell 2< the Padama Desk . Officers and \l'E i,Kljd.."Ilors in all the 17 cessillg, agJ 0 forestry and oHler type:::
local government areas ofthe State are on field inspection and monitoring to see that the FCAs and the FUGs empowered do not misuse or misdirect the !nnds given to them to embark on their chosen sub-projects. "Efforts are also being made by these arms to see that the Local government areas are carried along so as to help in the maintenance of the feeder roads, bridges, culverts and other rural infrastructure embarked upon by FCAs in their localities," she stated. Mrs. Uzoechina recalled that the National Fadama Development Project was initiated to address some of the factors that militated against the !nil realization of the potential benefit of agricultural production activities some of which include poor rural infrastructures; low investment in irrigation technology, poor organization of farmers and the futility of individual! subsistence farming system. "The main·gbal is to build peaceful and prosperous communities in Fadama resources areas without negative impact on the environment in which people live and on which they depend for their livelihood. "The key indicators and target of the project Development Objective is that by 2013, 75% of Fadama User households should have increased their average real income by at least 40%, increase in yields of primary agricultural produce of participating household will be 20%, 10% replacement value of the common asset used for income generating activities of the FtlGs will have been saved annually," she posited. On visits to the projects, it was
revealed that about 50% of assets and community-owned infrastructure is operating satisfactorily, maintained and utilized with the beneficiaries such as women, widows,
the physically challenged, the sick, the elderly, people living with HIV and Aids, and other vulnerable groups are actively involved in the projects. Other FUGs are also engaged in their different agricultural activities. At the flag off of farming season, 2010, the state government gave out organic fertilizers to about 2, 650 Fadama user group to encourage their farming activities which presently are yielding dividends. The project head office in Enugu said that in financing the project, World Bank contributes 55.6% which''"'-'' translates to USD250m, federal Government of Nigeria 5.1% or USD23m, State Governments 17.1%USD77m, Local Governments 8.9% USD40m, and Communities (PUGs and FCAs) 13.3% -USD60m. But in the course of the implementation of the project, some challenges that are being experienced such as the inability of the FeAs and FUGs to pay their counterpart fund which is meant for them to feel the pinch ofthe project so as to be committed and not treat them as government projects. Some local governments as well as states delay in payment of their counterpart contributions which contravenes the terms of agreement between the World Bank, the Federal and State Government signed before the actual take off of the Project.