Nigeria

The RFS Nigeria project supports a process of agricultural transformation in 70 communities in 14 Local Government Areas of northern Nigeria, and in three different agroecological zones: Guinea savannah of the north central region, Sudan-Sahel savannah of the northwest region, and Sudan savannah of the northeast region. The Theory of Change is based on the recognition that food security is the product of both socio-economic and environmental factors.

Addressing these factors requires both coherent policies and institutions that influence the ability of farming households to foster sustainable food security and tackling critical shocks in order to enhance the resilience of food production systems. A landscape approach, integrating resilience of land use systems, natural resource management and livelihood security, is of key importance.

The project is delivered through three interrelated components: 

1. Enhancing the policy and institutional enabling environment for achieving improved food security, including the development of public-private partnerships (PPPs) for major food crop value chains (e.g., cassava, rice and sorghum);
2. Scaling up sustainable land and water management and climate-smart agricultural practices, focusing on women and youth groups in particular and targeting the improved commercialisation of eight selected commodities (groundnuts, maize, rice, sorghum, cowpea, yam, poultry and dairy), fruit trees and aquaculture; and 
3. Establishing an effective and functional monitoring, assessment and knowledge-sharing system that evaluates the impact of project interventions on food production and household and ecosystem resilience, including global environmental benefits, using the Vital Signs monitoring framework. 

The project aims to meet the following targets: 

Institutional and policy environment for achieving improved food security is enhanced.

• Support the implementation of the Nigeria Agriculture Promotion Policy (the Green Alternative) to promote sustainable and resilient food and nutrition security. 
• Establish national- and state-level multi-stakeholder, gender sensitive platforms advocating sustainable agriculture and sustainable land and water management practices for improved food security.
• Establish public-private partnerships for major crop value chains (cassava, rice and sorghum) for food production, processing and distribution.

Sustainable agricultural practices and market opportunities for smallholder farmers are scaled up.

• Place 350,000 ha. under improved land use and agroecosystem management practices and 35,000 ha. under intensive and diversified production for enhanced income and improved nutrition;
• Increase value addition and access to markets by beneficiary smallholder farmers;
• Incentivise 14,000 women and 28,000 youth to participate in increased groundnut and rice production and processing for improved income and nutrition; and 

An effective and functional monitoring, assessment and knowledge-sharing system is established. 

• Establish a harmonised monitoring and evaluation framework for food security information, multi-scale assessment of sustainability and resilience in agroecological zones and landscapes, and monitoring of global environmental benefits. 

The RFS Nigeria’s lead national partner is the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development who will chair the project steering committee. Other participating ministries include those in charge of the environment, water resources, women’s affairs, and budget and planning. State and local governments from the seven participating states are supporting the implementation of the project. In addition, CSOs, universities, and research Institutions are involved in advocacy, mobilisation, training, research, technical input and knowledge sharing.