CASCADE Supports 7,500 Women Small Holder Farmers

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

Catalysing Strengthened Policy Action for Healthy Diets and Resilience (CASCADE) Nigeria is to support 7,500 Women small holder farmers with orange flesh potatoes vine and 3500 others with vegetables seeds across four implementing states of Bauchi, Jigawa, Kebbi and Nasarawa.
The Program Manager of CASCADE Nigeria, Bauchi Office, Isaac Ishaya made the disclosure yesterday, at the flag off of 2024 Rain Fed season agricultural input fair and voucher redemption at Miri Community in Bauchi local government area.

Ishaya, said the aim was to increase access to and consumption of heathy diets, resilience to price and climate change related shocks and stresses for women of reproductive age and children Under – 5.
According to the Program Manager, CASCADE was giving out support to 1482 women small holders in Bauchi state with orange flesh potatoes vine and 613 other women are benefitting from assorted vegetables.

He added that, “In Bauchi state, we are working in Bauchi, Dass, Jama’are, Ningi and Toro local government areas.”
The organisation also reiterated its commitment to supporting women small holder farmers to engage in nutrition sensitive agriculture in their localities.
Ishaya, said for CASCADE, the idea was to provide the needed support at household level for women small holder farmers to be able to leverage their backyard gardens to cultivate vegetables and orange flesh potatoes.

According to him, “Looking at the nutritional value or this potato in addressing hidden hunger as well as the importance vegetables has to the nutrition of households, this actually drove our commitment to strengthen women participation in agriculture through assessing agricultural inputs.”
He added that to strengthen confidence among women small holder farmers, CASCADE Nigeria engaged theprivate sector actors with the intention to strengthen agricultural linkages between the farmers and lead agricultural firms.

According to him, “We want to boost confidence among small Holder farmers’ participation around their source of input as well as bridge the gap between farmers and source of input.”
In her remarks, Head of Women in Agriculture, Bauchi State Agricultural Supply Company, Helen Ciroma said the support to women small holder farmers will improve their livelihood and their nutritional status.
According to her, “The orange flesh potatoes has nutritional value, it’s rich in vitamin A, helps in reducing inflammation, boost immune system and its good for patients with diabetes.”