Sasakawa’s intervention improving smallholder farmers’ income in Gombe- women groups
By Hajara Leman
Women groups in Yamaltu/Deba and Kaltungo Local Government Areas of Gombe State have said Sasakawa Africa Association’s (SAA) intervention was improving livelihood and boosting incomes of smallholder farmers in their communities.
They stated this while sharing their experiences with journalists during a media field day organised by SAA to asses the activities of the project and the impact made so far.
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Mrs Agness Danladi Leader Kauna Women multipurpose group Dadin-Kowa said SAA has exposed them to best agriculture practice which has impacted positively in their livelihood and improved their incomes.
She said at the initial stage, they have not taken farming as business but only food production “Initially we have not taken Agriculture as business but food production for family consumption but with the intervention given to us SAA, we are now cultivating different types of crops for our personal consumption and business ,”she explained.
According to her, the group now has N6million in its account and out of the money they give loans with 10 per cent interest to its members and people in the community who applied for it
“We will remain grateful to SAA for the intervention given to us which had impacted in our lives positively,” she explained.
Mrs Barmani Musa, leader Kai -Kendi Women group Ture-Okwaldi community also said SAA intervention changed their lives for good financially.
She said they were smallholder farmers, cultivating food in small quantity “ but with the new farming techniques given to us by SAA we are now harvesting a significant quantity for our consumption as well as business.”
Musa said apart from income generation from the crops produced, they received training on how to balance their diet from the food they produced in their farms as well improving their personal hygiene for healthy living.
Also speaking, Mrs Zainabu Haruna leader Kalkwi women group Ladur also in Kaltungo said the training given to them by SAA had empowered them on how to establish permagardening around homes to improve their nutritional status and income generation.
According to her, the group is now financially independent taking responsibilities of their immediate needs without contacting anyone for help or waiting for their spouses.
“ We eat from the garden and we also sell “ the little profits we realized we cater for our family immediate needs, now we are above poverty level ” she explained.
Also speaking,Mr Salomon Salihu the village head of Ludur has commended Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) for lifting the members of his community out of poverty through its intervention.
He said initially what they were cultivating was for the immediate family consumption, but now they take their farm produce to markets in other LGAs for sale and also as source of income.
“ Farming has been our primary occupation but when we became beneficiaries of SAA our capacity was built on how to boost the productivity of our crops, we have turned from subsistence to commercial farmers,”he said.
He commended Sasakawa for the intervention “We will forever remain grateful to SAA for the knowledge given to us which has changed our status ,” he said.
Earlier the Ag.Country Director SAA Dr Abdulhamid Gambo said they were in the communities with journalists to interact with the beneficiaries assess the progress so far made as well as challenges and how to improve on them.
According said SAA within the period working in Gombe, they have worked on several strategic areas supported farmers in various communities on agricultural best practice. NAN
