FSSS, Heineken Africa Foundation Unveil Initiative to Support Smallholder Farmers, Strengthen Climate Resilience in Bauchi.

By Uzairu Dauda Bunga:

The Empowerment of Smallholders to Thrive and Build Climate Resilience through Regenerative Agriculture (ESTRRA) project has officially been launched in Bauchi State, marking a major milestone in efforts to strengthen climate-smart agriculture and improve livelihoods in Bauchi North Zone.

Speaking during the unveiling, the Executive Director of the Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions (FSSS), Dr. Isaiah Gabriel, described agriculture as the heartbeat of Bauchi State, with over 80 percent of households depending on it.

He said, climate change has created uncertainty for farmers, prompting the foundation to design a three-year project targeting 14,000 smallholder farmers directly and over 50,000 community members indirectly across the Bauchi North LGAs.

Dr. Gabriel emphasized that the initiative supported by the Heineken Africa Foundation and implemented in partnership with community-based organizations will place smallholder farmers, especially women and youth, at the center of innovation, saying beneficiaries will gain access to improved seeds, climate-smart information, extension services, mechanization, and improved market linkages.

He said, the project aims to boost farmers’ incomes by at least 30 percent in the seven LGAs of Bauchi North to include Katagum, Shira, Jama’are, Giade, Itas-Gadau, Zaki, and Gamawa.

Dr Gabriel commended the Bauchi State Government for its support and urged stakeholders to strengthen systems that ensure lasting food security.

Representing Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed at the event, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Iliyasu Aliyu Gital said, the project is timely as Nigeria seeks sustainable strategies to enhance agricultural productivity and economic growth.

He noted that although communities in the Bauchi North zone have long practiced regenerative agriculture, the ESTRRA initiative will significantly improve the system and tackle unemployment across the region.

The Governor highlighted his administration’s continued investment in agriculture, including the construction of access roads to ease the movement of farm produce and inputs, especially during harvest seasons.

Representing Nigerian Breweries Plc and the Heineken Africa Foundation, Mr. Chukwuemeka Aniukwu expressed appreciation for the cooperation extended by the state government.

He said the project represents a shared commitment to improving livelihoods and supporting long-term prosperity in Bauchi communities.

Aniukwu announced that the Heineken Africa Foundation, through Nigerian Breweries Plc, is investing 4 billion Naira in the three-year initiative across LGAs of Bauchi North Zone.

He described Bauchi as a state blessed with fertile land and hardworking people, encouraging smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth to seize the opportunity to become national role models in modern agriculture.

In his goodwill message, Seed Systems Specialist Prof. Lucky Omoifui pledged to use his expertise to support farmers in accessing high-quality seedlings.

Similarly, the Director of the Centre for Dryland Agriculture at Bayero University Kano, Prof. Sanusi Gaya Mohammed, assured farmers that the center would deploy its top training facilities and expertise to support the project.

Representing the Emir of Katagum, Alhaji Umar Faruk II, the Danejin Katagum, Alhaji Liman Bello, expressed confidence that farmers in Bauchi North would fully cooperate to ensure the project’s success.

He thanked FSSS for selecting the area as a pilot zone and urged expansion to other parts of the state.

Delivering the project overview, Dr. Reuben Solomon of FSSS revealed that a survey showed 87 percent of farmers in Bauchi lack access to agricultural extension services saying, the ESTRRA project, will address this gap through a farmers’ hub network, seed system strengthening, economic and nutritional empowerment, and the establishment of two seed companies in Bauchi North.

In his closing remarks, the Emir of Bauchi Dr Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamu, represented by Mainan Bauchi stated that the project will reduce poverty not only in the state but across the Northeast and Nigeria.

Past beneficiaries from Kano, Jigawa, and Kaduna, where FSSS previously implemented similar projects also shared testimonies of improved livelihoods, encouraging Bauchi farmers to fully embrace the initiative.

On their parts some of the prospective beneficiaries from Bauchi North expressed confidence that the project will equip them with modern agricultural skills and transform the narrative surrounding smallholder farming, contributing to national economic growth.