Counterpart funding is our biggest challenge – Benue FADAMA III

How has it been with FADAMA III project in the state? For the past five years, we have actually touched 192 FADAMA communities that are registered in the state; we have been able to fund 152 communities. In each community, they have an average of 10 users group so a total of 1,857 users have […]

How has it been with FADAMA III project in the state?
For the past five years, we have actually touched 192 FADAMA communities that are registered in the state; we have been able to fund 152 communities. In each community, they have an average of 10 users group so a total of 1,857 users have been funded to carry out their various project activities. At community level, we support them to carry our rural infrastructures; roads rehabilitation, culverts, bridges, market stalls, warehouses and so on. But, at group levels, we support agricultural activities like rice production, soybean production, poultry production and fishery production among others depending on what a group wants to do.
What would you say FADAMA III has achieved?
Like I said earlier, in the past five years, we have been able to touch lives. You will appreciate the achievements when you go around these communities. Even the World Bank expresses satisfaction each time they come here to see what is on ground. Recently, when we were on a radio phone-in programme, some communities that had not yet benefitted called on the governor to release the counterpart funding so that they too can be part of the activities. For instance, in Tarka local government, they have benefitted; bridges, roads and warehouses among others. There are beneficiaries who are into yam processing, garri processing, rice milling and processing; in fact, we even go into value addition such as oil production and garri processing well packaged in bags.
What have been the major challenges so far?
Our major challenge has been the issue of counterpart funding. Out of the N282 million that the state government was supposed to release during the five-year programme which should be N56.4 million per year, now only N65 million was released within the past five years and we have been able to support the communities with over N750 million to go into various productive assets and economic activities. So we have a balance of over N40 million still outstanding. The World Bank has said that until we meet up, they would not go ahead with us. The situation can be likened to someone sleeping outside and a helper comes to say clear the land and I will build you a house and he couldn’t just do that, that shows he is clearly not serious.
Are you implying that the state government is not serious about the project?
The project was actually launched by Governor Gabriel Suswam who promised that out of the 23 local governments, FADAMA was sponsoring 20 that he will release fund to so that the other three can be part of it. But, I can exactly say, if it was financial difficulty or whatever hindered the process otherwise, the issue of counterpart funding has been the biggest challenge.
How has the problem affected the staff?
In each local government, we have about four staff which includes facilitators and two desk officers. All the local governments too have problems, the facilitators we have are 18 and they have all gone away because they are direct staff. They have not been paid for over two years now, for them to keep on, it became a difficult issue.
With all these challenges, do you think FADAMA III will succeed in Benue?
The project was launched on April 15, 2010. It has not failed completely; at least we have achieved more than 50 percent of our total target. It is just the counterpart funding otherwise we would have gone very far. If the balance of the funding is released, we will succeed before the end of the programme.
When do you expect to round up the project?
It was expected to run between 2009 and 2013, however due to the success story recorded, the World Bank decided to extend the time to 2017 for particularly states that could not release the total counterpart funding at the required time. For the states that have met up with the counterpart funding, they have moved on to FADAMA III additional programme which started in 2014 but Benue is not included.
Which of the crops is making more achievements in the state under this project?
In the area of crops; cassava, rice and soybean are making dominant progress. Other areas like poultry production, fish production, rice processing and milling, groundnut processing and milling. In the zone C part of the state, a lot of communities are into palm oil production and processing as well as other environment activities like banana production, citrus production in zone A, especially in Ushongo and Vandekiya LGAs.
What does an average farmer benefit from this project?
FADAMA is a group activity so in each community, there are about 15 groups on different economic activities which can be rice farming, cassava, poultry or whatever the community had decided on. FADAMA is basically community driven approach which allows the people to decide on a common interest that the programme assists them in achieving.
Where are these projects located?
The projects are located within the communities. For instance, in Agatu LGA, the registered communities are six and in each of the communities, there are about 10 to 15 groups so if you multiply 10 by six, you have 60 groups. So at the community level, there are infrastructure projects that are facilitated by the production because when they produce without access road, it would not help them to market the produce well. So if access road is the major problem for a particular community, FADAMA will assist them to get one and if it is bridge or whatever that is the problem, we do the same.
Which are the three LGAs left out of the programme?
Since FADAMA 1 started, it has kept on expanding. In Benue State, Ohimini, Obi and Ado LGAs of the south senatorial district are not participants of FADAMA III.
What has been the success story of FADAMA I and II?
FADAMA is a Hausa word for irrigable land; farming in the riverine or dry season farming. FADAMA 1 started with tuber production to assist community or groups that are into dry season farming. Because of the success story, they expanded into FADAMA II and went into other activities apart from production such as rural road rehabilitation and construction of bridges among others. Benue did not participate in FADAMA II because they did not meet up the requirement so it is FADAMA III that we are now taking part in. We also participated in FADAMA 1 but I can’t enumerate its success story since I was not around then.
Do you have extension workers?
We in FADAMA don’t have extension workers; it is the Agriculture Development Programme (ADP) that has extension workers. That is why among the components, we have component 4 where we partner with the ADP for support for extension staff in communities into agricultural production. This informs why in all states, we are housed under the ADP so that we work together.