The International Fund for Agricultural Development and Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP), has over the years proritised women and youths in the implementation of its programmes and policies.
There is no gainsaying the fact that women inclusion as the main stream of the activities of the VCDP is of immense benefits.
This was made manifest when women groups in Ijiho /Magajiya Cluster came out in their numbers narrating successes recorded by their respective groups.
No fewer than 15 VCDP women farmers from Magajiya /Ijiho cluster have demonstrated character, commitment and prudent management of the inputs given to them by VCDP which had resulted in massive purchase of cows numbering eleven (11) sheep and goats nine (9) leading to other streams of income through VCDP.
Speaking during the interaction visits to their respective neighborhoods, one of the beneficiaries of VCDP programmes, Madam Aisha Ahmed, stated that she was given full complement of inputs such as fertilizer, certified rice seeds, chemical and pumping machine.
She noted that from that season, she followed all the agronomic best practices taught them by VCDP.
She further stated that her harvest was bountiful and the money from the sale of the rice was used to start construction of a three-bedroom bungalow to a lintel level and the remaining money was used to buy a cow for a less privileged Mallam Abuh Usman to train.
She further took the team round her ongoing 3-bedroom bungalow with excitement.
Abubakar Usman, a beneficiary of the gesture from Aisha Ahmed, thanked VCDP for enrolling women into their programmes.
On her part, Mallama Ramat Gambo, who also benefitted from the VCDP, said she applied the income from the sale of the rice paddy to buy cow and also started the sale of fish, cashew nuts and groundnut chips.
According to her, she had started doing very well in her business, and she would never in her life forget about VCDP because the IFAD-VCDP has transformed her life stressing that the programme is different from other programmes in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.
Sa’adat Salihu and Hassanat Salifu, who were both beneficiaries of VCDP, said the programme marked the beginning of their life changing stories.
According to Sa’adat, the beneficiaries in Ijiho / Magajiya cluster have never had it so good saying VCDP intervention was timely because their harvest was okay, infact, she noted that their stocks each ranges between 50 to 80 bags of paddy rice and the proceeds was well applied.
“We, in the group bought sheep, cows, goats and roofed our houses”, she said.
Other beneficiaries in the group, Halima Yahaya bought two cows and five (5) sheep. Ramat Yusuf also own tthree (3)cows, roofed her house and equally helped her husband to pay the children’s school fees.
On her part, Khadijat Jibrin bought one cow and used the remaining money to stock paddy rice and other grains.
All the beneficiaries that spoke to KMC team also confirmed that they all have savings, as well as planting another rice seeds to ensure sustainability on continous basis even when the programme exit.
