IMPACT OF WORLD BANK AIDED FADAMA II PROJECT IN ENDORSING RUMINANT PRODUCTION AMONG FARMERS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

IMPACT OF WORLD BANK AIDED FADAMA II PROJECT IN ENDORSING RUMINANT PRODUCTION AMONG FARMERS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA  

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to determine the influence of World Bank Assisted Fadama II in promoting ruminant production among farmers in Kaduna state, Nigeria. To enable the researcher achieve the purpose of the studythree research questions were generated and answered, also one null hypothesiswas formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Descriptive ResearchDesign was adopted for this study. The area of the study was Kaduna state. The population for the studyconsisted of 400 participants and non participants of the project. The samplefor the study consisted of 400 respondents comprising of 240 participants and 160non participants selected by proportionate sampling technique.Structured questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. The instrument wasvalidated by two senior lecturers in the Department of Vocational and TechnicalEducation, Ahmadu Bello University and three other Chief Agricultural Officers in KADP.The reliability of the instrument was obtainedusing Spearman Brown Reliability Test. A reliability coefficient of 0.81 wasobtained. Qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis were employed in thestudy. The standard deviation, mean and z-test statistics were employed to analyzethe data collected. Among the major findings of this study was that significant differences existed where participants realized higher income than non participants.Also, the study revealed that as a result of the Fadama project services, skills havebeen acquired to an average level in animalproduction practices. Results revealed that participants acquiredhigher levels of skills when compared with non participants in the areas of animal production. The differences were significant, itwas an indication that the project impacted positively on the participants.Theimplication of the findings is that the continued implementation of the Fadamaproject and its expansion to areas yet to benefit from it will enable more farmersacquiring relevant agricultural skills for the adoption of right practices.Theacquisition of these skills surely will translate into sustained increase inproductivity, income and standard of living of rural farmers in particular and thenation at large. Among the major recommendations based on the findings of thisstudy is that Government should encourage more rural farmers to participate inthe Fadama project.This could be achieved through aggressive multimediacampaign aimed at showcasing the dividend of the project no matter how smallthey may be. Also recommended is that all agricultural intervention projects inNigeria should adopt the Fadama II project‟s demand driven strategy inidentification and execution of project in our communities

CHAPTER ONE: 

INTRODUCTION

1.1        Background to the Study

 Fadama is a physiographic environment whereshallow ground water occurs in alluvial aquifers at a depth of 3-4m in flood plains or stream beds, for irrigation potentials and source of dry season grazing for ruminant animals. Fadama serves as the main source of fodder, together with crop residues and browsing of trees and shrubs (NFDO, 2003).The perennial fadama grasses are very valuable, providing nutrition to ruminant animals throughout the year. In the wet season, fadama are flooded and cannot be grazed but can be cut and fed to animals, especially goatskept in fenced house. The desire to realize the full potential of Fadama resources in Nigeria led to the design of the National Fadama Development Project (NFDP) in 1993, mainly funded by the World Bank, with counterpart funding by the federal and benefiting state governments (Abachi& Salamatu, 2004).

Earlier, Fadama Phase one(I) focused mainly on crop production and largely neglected downstream activities such as commodity processing, storage and marketing. The emphasis ofFadama Phase one(I) was on provision of bore-holes and pumps to crop farmers through simple credit arrangement aimed at boosting aggregate crop output (Akanya, 1989). The design of the Fadama Phase I did not allow for rural infrastructures such as access roads to ensure the efficient transportation of farm produce to markets. The project did not also take into consideration other resource users such as livestock producers, fisher folks, pastoralists, hunters and others. The focus on crop producers contributed to increased conflicts among users of Fadama resources. Increased crop production led to increased surplus but the project did not support post-harvest technology, contributing to reduced crop prices and increased storage losses (Ashafa, 2004).

The major productive sector under Fadama phase II were crops, livestock, agro forestry, fishing and fish farming (Fisher`s folk)(Ogunwale, 2005). Among the 23 local government areas (LGAs) in Kaduna state 10 of them were fully involved in the Fadama phase II Project. These were BirninGwari,Giwa, Kagarko, Kajuru, Kaura, Kubau, Lere, Makarfi, Soba and ZangonKataf Local Government Areas. The farmers apart from crop production also reared livestock like cattle, sheep, goat, poultry and kept fish for sustainable livelihood.

Livestock has historically been considered as one of Africa`s major economic resources in terms of livelihood of its populations, but has remained the stepchild of mining and crop production in terms of its contributions to trade and export. This is because livestock production is practiced locally and in a conservative way and hence, difficult to transfer from the traditional sector to modern production methods, especially in West Africa. Indeed, throughout most of this region majority of the ruminants, especially cattle are managed by a single ethnic group, the Fulbe who have largely retained pastoral system (Chikwendu, 2007).  The poor yields and extremely lowtake – off from traditional production systems have been a source of frustration to development initiatives from the early colonial period. A series of attempts to improve on traditional management through ranching and intensive production strategies have an unblemished record of failure (Abdullahi, 2003). The conclusion drawnby both non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multi – lateral agencies such as the World Bank was that, sustainable livestock production would be a more likely route to success, through working with traditional pastoralists.

Before the advent of Fadama Project there was the introduction of Agricultural

Development Projects (ADPs) sponsored by the World Bank in all the states including

Kaduna State. Some selected LGAs where theADP was introduced included BirninGwari, Soba and SamarunKataf LGAs, with headquarters in Kaduna. This was the major activity sponsored by the World Bank (Oladimeji,Osamu,  &Sakagami,  2004).

Fadama Phase II was a follow-up to the implementation of Fadama Phase I and   addressed its noted shortcomings. Fadama II‟s strategy represented a shift from public sector domination to a community driven development(CDD) approach.

The project activities focused on fadama users group (FUG) having common economic interest – termed economic interest groups (EIGs). This was one of the unique features of the project since studies have shown that collective action can help to overcome many problems that face poor farmers in production and marketing (Kato, Mogues,&Yahaya, 2007). Addressing one of the weaknesses of Fadama Phase I, Fadama Phase II also provided special preferences to groups of youths, women (especially widows), the physically challenged, the elderly and people with HIV/AIDS. The targeted groups can belong to any of the productive service sectors supported by the project. Since the project used a CDD approach, beneficiaries were given the chance to choose the kind of activities that they wanted to undertake (Arokoyo& Philip 2007).

However, there were some activities that the project did not support, such activities that could lead to degradation of natural resources or large-scale change of land use (NFDO, 2005). Under the CDD approach of Fadama II, all users of fadama resources were encouraged to develop participatory and socially inclusive local development plans (LDPs). Twelve States benefited under the World Bank Assisted Fadama Phase II.

These were Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Federal Capital Territory, Imo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Oyo and Taraba states. Fadama II was designed to operate for six (6) years (2004-2010) with a goal of contributing to sustainable agricultural production and uplifting the standard of rural dwellers. Actual implementation did not begin until September,

2005 (Gimba, Audu, Atiyong, &Chikwendu, 2007).

. Maize, sorghum, millet, Rice, cowpea, potatoes, yams, soybeans, ginger, tomatoes, and sugarcane were the major crops produced by fadama farmers. The farmers also reared animals like: cattle, sheep, goats, poultry and kept fish (Mkonya, Philip & Pender, 2007).

For livestock keepers, Fadama areas have traditionally provided access to water and dry season fodder, which is critical for the survival of their animals. Fadama lands are a critical resource for about 2/3 of the national cattle population or about 10million heads of cattle, which produce annually about 150,000 tons of meat.

The design of Fadama II has incorporated a paradigm shift from the traditional public sector dominated/supply-led development approaches of the past to a private sector-led, demand-driven strategy. Through this process, communities would decide on which advisory services and infrastructures they need to enable them attain development goals they set for themselves based on their own effort. The consensus so reached would be articulated in Local Development Plans (LDPs) drawn up at the level of the fadama community associations (FCAs).

The project promotes development in agricultural livestock (mostly ruminants) and aquaculture, as well as development in such other areas as hunting, beekeeping, wildlife conservation and downstream activities including processing and marketing. About 25% of livestock keepers benefitted with the project through forming groups as a means of organizing to defend group interest. The project specifically financed the establishment of resting points, at intervals of 100km, stock routes, construction of water points, veterinary clinics, grazing grounds and supplementary feed storage facilities. (NFDO, 2003).

Livestock production (especially ruminants) is concentrated in the Sudan and Northern Guinea savannas in the semi-arid zones in the hands of pastoralists who hold over 90% of the nation‟s livestock population. Transhumance is still a major feature of pastoral production. This production strategy has been occasioned by the seasonal alteration in the availability of fodder and water especially in the major livestock producing areas, as well in the avoidance of trypanasomiasis in the high risk areas.

The Nigerian livestock industry constitutes a very important national resource with great deal of untapped potentials. The larger ruminants are particularly important in increasing and improving crop and livestock production through the use of those animals as sources of farm and off-farm power, notably their use for animal traction. However, since most of the large ruminants are fed at or even below maintenance for a considerable part of the year productivity (growth rate, calving rate and milk yields) is low and morbidity and mortality rates high(Adams, 2002).

Nigeria‟s ruminant population is predominantly found in the arid, semi-arid and the sub-humid zones of the country. These zones contribute about 30.4%, 27.3% and 19.5% of livestock units (LU), respectively, (1 LU =250kg). Due to the high rainfall and vast land for forage production in contrast with the low vegetation cover in the drier zones, the sub-humid zones have a higher potential for ruminant production. The potential can be put into productive use.

1.2         Statement of the Problem

Improving the quality of life in the rural areas and reducing the level of poverty is a major problem in Nigeria. Many people in Kaduna State consume mostly cereals and other starchy foods to almost total absence of proteins, such as meat, eggs, fish, and dairy products. For instance, the per capita consumption of protein in Nigeria was about 52 grams per day as compared with 105 grams in developed countries (Kato, et, al, 2007).

Most of the poor people in Kaduna State live in the rural areas and are usually poor in resources. A resource poor farmer is one that farms on a modest piece of land which may not belong to him and rears small number of livestock with family labor. Such resource poor farmer with these problems lack funds to purchase inputs, and he uses low level of technology which results into low sustainability of livestock production.  Such farmer lacks collateral and has no access to loans from financial institutions and as such the poverty is further increasedin terms of smallness of operation and poor output. (Chikwendu, 2007)

The CDD popularity has been promoted for its potential to develop projects and programmes that are sustainable and responsive to local priorities. The CDD empowers local communities to manage and govern their own developmental programmes, and are better targeted towards poor and vulnerable groups. The sustainability of donor-supported CDD and their effectiveness in targeting the poor and the vulnerable is a problem that attracts many scholars. Emphasis of the policy implications should be on strategies that can be used to ensure sustainability of similar projects and improved targeting of the poor farmers who use local tools.

However, very little has been known of the Fadama programme performance

indicated by effects on livestock farmers‟ livelihood. The prevailing question on how far has the Fadama Development Project contributed to the improvement of ruminant production in Kaduna state could not be answered as there exist no available literature  written by any author on that. For this reason therefore, a significant gap has been created which eventually this studyhas filled. The assumption is always that proper and objective investigation of the socio-economic impact of a programme would provide the required information on performance of the programme. This study therefore assessedthe influence of the Fadama phase II Project on ruminant production level and income.

1.3        Objectives of the Study

The general objective was to determine the influence of World Bank assisted Fadama II Project in promoting ruminant production by farmers in Kaduna state, while the specific objectives were to:

• Identify the socio-economic characteristics of Fadama II project on farmers‟ level of ruminant production and income.
• Determine the socio-economic and institutional factors influencing ruminant production in Fadama II project and
• Identify major constraints encountered by participants of the Project.

1.4 Research Questions

The followings research questions were asked to guide this study:

1. What are the socio-economic characteristics of Fadama II project on farmers‟ level of ruminant production and income?
2. What is the influence of socio-economic characteristics and institutional factors influencing ruminant production in Fadama II project?
3. What are the major constraints encountered by the participants of the project?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

The following hypothesis was stated for the study.

There is no significant difference in the income levels of participants and non participants ofFadama II programme.

1.6 Significance of the Study

 The study will benefit rural livestock farmers in Kaduna state. The study will also be significant to higher institutions of learning and to the entire public.

1.7   Basic Assumptions of the Study

         The following assumptions were made for this study:

1. Adequate financial assistance and knowledge on modern farming techniques are parts of activities used at rural areas in promoting farmers‟ ruminant production.
2. Modern techniques and financial support that promote ruminant production can also lead to farmers‟ skill acquisition in farming business.

1.8 Delimitation of the Study

 This study focused on the influence of World Bank on promoting ruminant production by farmers through Fadama II Development Project in some selected Local Government Areas of Kaduna state. The study was delimited to four Local Government Areas in Kaduna state because they were among the ten Fadama II beneficiaries. These were Giwa, Makarfi,

Soba and ZangonKataf Local Government Areas.

IMPACT OF WORLD BANK AIDED FADAMA II PROJECT IN ENDORSING RUMINANT PRODUCTION AMONG FARMERS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA  

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