case studies undp: smallholders foundation, nigeria

7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: SMALLHOLDERS FOUNDATION, Nigeria

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Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions for people, nature, and resilient communities

Nigeria

THE SMALLHOLDERSFOUNDATION

Empowered live

Resilient nation

Empowered live

Resilient nation


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UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES

Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo

or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth

their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition

themselves guiding the narrative.

To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser

that details the work o Equator Prize winners vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succ

to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models

replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to The Power of Local Action: Lessons from 10 Years

the Equator Initiative, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.

Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiatives searchable case study database.

EditorsEditor-in-Chief: Joseph CorcoranManaging Editor: Oliver Hughes

Contributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding

Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe

Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,

Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu

DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis

AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude The Smallholders Foundation, and in particular the guidance and inputs o Nnaem

Ikegwuonu. All photo credits courtesy o The Smallholders Foundation. Maps courtesy o CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.

Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. The Smallholders Foundation, Nigeria. Equator Initiative Case Study Series. New York, N
http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/index.php?option=com_winners&view=casestudysearch&Itemid=858http://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdfhttp://equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/Power_of_Local_Action_Final_2013.pdf


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PROJECT SUMMARYThe Smallholders Foundation promotes sustainableagriculture and environmental conservation througheducational radio programmes. Smallholder FarmersRural Radio broadcasts daily programs on agriculturalmanagement, environmental conservation, and marketaccess, which reach over 250,000 smallholder armers.Broadcasts are done in the local Igbo language, and reachlisteners in three local government catchments in Imo State,Nigeria.

Inormation shared on broadcasts help armers improve

their arming practices and broaden their access to markets,thereby increasing their incomes. The Foundation alsobroadcasts inormation on environmentally responsiblearming techniques as well as on household hygiene,sanitation, and nutrition.

KEY FACTS

EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2010

FOUNDED: 2003

LOCATION: Imo State, Nigeria

BENEFICIARIES: Programmes reach 250,000 small farmer

BIODIVERSITY: Ecoagriculture

3

THE SMALLHOLDERS FOUNDATIONNigeria

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Context 4

Key Activities and Innovations 5

Biodiversity Impacts 7

Socioeconomic Impacts 8

Policy Impacts 8

Sustainability 9

Replication 9

Partners 9


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4

Nigerias biological wealth is located in rural areas, where the local

opulation is dependent on natural resources or their livelihoods,

ubsistence needs, health and wellbeing. Over 70 percent o

Nigerias population o 150 million live and work in rural areas. The

ast majority o the rural population depends on agriculture or their

ncomes. Due to an underdeveloped communication inrastructure

n Nigeria, ew armers, however, have access to high quality,

urrent inormation on natural resource management. Energy

nd power supplies are inconsistent and unreliable, with many

ural communities living o the grid. Internet access too is sparse,

nd oten does not reach rural, marginalized armer communities.

imilarly, agricultural and orestry extension services which normally

eliver valuable natural resource management inormation to ruralarmers have collapsed in recent years.

his has resulted in an inormation gap between emerging

nowledge, lessons learned and guidance on sustainable arming and

atural resource management and rural armers. Small armers lack

ccess to inormation on sustainable environmental management

echniques and arming methods to ensure steady supplies to

he market. The result has been environmental degradation, a

eepening o poverty, and accelerated ood insecurity. Cut o rom

rucial inormation systems, small armers are unable to boost their

gricultural yields or their incomes.

Overcoming the information gap

stablished in 2003 in Imo State, Nigeria, The Smallholders Foundation

s a non-governmental organization which assists approximately 3.5

million rural small-hold armers. Targeting armers that in most cases

work no more than an acre o land, the Smallholders Foundation uses

adio programming to promote agricultural productivity, livelihoods

iversication, and environmental conservation. Smallholders

armers Rural Radio broadcasts programming ten hours a day on

agricultural management, environmental conservation, and m

supply-chain inormation to over 250,000 small-hold arm

Broadcasts are aired in the local Igbo language. The programs en

economically marginalized armers to acquire modern agricu

and environmental management techniques, receive up-to-date

oten daily) market inormation, and provided a platorm on whi

advertise their products. Broadcast programming covers techni

in crop production, livestock rearing, biodiversity conservation

management, soil erosion control, arm management, ood sec

and saety, nutrition, HIV/AIDS, malaria, ertilizer and pesticide

rainwater harvesting, small-scale irrigation, accessing hybrid se

market access, micro-credit access, and a question and an

service. Programs also include capacity building and business development, including market research, cost-benet ana

banking and accounts management, bookkeeping, store rec

and business planning.

Organizational structure and membership process

Administration o the Smallholders Foundation is managed

two groups: the Board o Trustees and the members. The Boa

Trustees is made up o six individuals, who are directly elected b

members. The Board o Trustees retains responsibility or ensu

that the goals and vision o the organization are carried out, an

providing strategic direction. The board is overseen by a Chair

who is also elected by the members. Members o the organizaare community armers, as well as nongovernmental organizat

Members are responsible or appointing the Board o Tru

and the Chairman every two years. In order to become a mem

interested individuals or organizations send in a request orm, w

is reviewed by the Board o Trustees. Key perormance indicato

the organization are veried through the number and duratio

programs broadcast; letters, text messages, and phone calls to

radio stations; and structured eld questionnaires.

Background and Context


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Key Activities and Innovations

he primary objective o the Smallholders Foundation is to empower

ural armers in south-eastern Nigeria with the inormation

eeded to overcome poverty and protect the environment. At

he same time, the organization aims to provide a platorm or

ural armers to have a voice and to solve common problems in

managing biodiversity and adopting contemporary agricultural

nd environmental management techniques. Towards this end,

mallholders Foundation carries out our key activities.

A radio station for farmers, by farmers

he rst activity is the Smallholder Farmers Rural Radio Project,

which was established in 2007 with the support o the UnitedNations Educational, Scientic and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

he project designs and broadcasts programming on agricultural

management, environmental conservation, and rural markets. The

objective is the uptake o best practices in agricultural productivity,

which increase arm yields, improve local incomes, and protect

he environment. The programs allow armers to acquire modern

gricultural and environmental management techniques, receive

prompt market inormation, and advertise produce rom their arms.

rogramming covers a broad range o issues, including livestock, soil

management, arm management, ood security, inectious disease

ontrol and public health, water management, micro-credit access

nd business skills training. To ampliy the eectiveness o the

broadcasts, rural radio station sta embark on eld extension serviceswhere they provide hands-on demonstrations o practical arming

echniques in sustainable agricultural management. Additionally,

he deployment o interactive radio mobile devices to listener clubs

llows armers to provide direct eedback on the programs. Voice

nputs made into the mobile devices are orwarded to the radio

tation via a network antenna installed in the radio station. The

evice incurs no cost to the users and oers a mechanism or asking

practical questions.

Further outreach through public radio stations

A second key activity is the Radio Broadcast Script Pro

This initiative uses songs (or jingles), radio scripts, and d

perormances to provide educational inormation and contemp

arming practices to rural armers. The content is oriented la

around topics such as slash-and-burn agriculture, small

development, arm saety, storage acilities, emale empowerm

youth in agriculture, public health issues, land tenure and

access, micro-credit, market access, soil management, water

sanitation, wetlands management, and environmental conserva

The jingles, radio scripts and drama perormances are devel

with community input and broadcast through public radio statwith reach to rural communities.

Empowering youth in farm management

A third activity is the School Gardens Project, which targets

schools and provides youth with agricultural skills and trai

Gardens are established where youth can learn how to harvest

market produce, to manage costs and revenues, and to rear lives

The project provides exposure to the ull range o responsib

o managing a arm, and extends learning beyond the classro

Gardens are operated and managed by students outside o

school hours, where there is interest, providing experience in

agri-business sector.

Hands-on agricultural extension

The ourth key activity o the organization is a demonstration

education project or rural armers, which aims to help increase

crop yields and prolierate good arming practices. The project

is on teaching armers to cultivate their crops and livestock, to c

hygienic arming conditions, to manage low-cost irrigation syst


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o harness sustainable energy, and to conserve the environment.

hese skills are taught through demonstration sessions. This has

een a particularly valuable platorm or educating local armers on

cosystems and integrated natural resource management across

ainorests, wetlands, and mangroves. Topics have also included

lternatives to slash-and-burn agriculture, preventing soil erosion

nd fooding, watershed management, enorcing laws to protect

ommunity streams and rivers through the use o drought-resistant

lants, restoring degraded rainorests, community aorestation, sharvesting technologies, multi-use trees, agroorestry, water bird

management, wildlie management, and ecotourism.

An innovative use of a widespread technology

mallholders Foundation uses a locally available technology to not

nly ll an existing communications gap on modern agricultural

nd environmental management techniques, but also to transorm

mall-hold armers rom mere recipients o inormation into active

participants in an ongoing dialogue on best practices. The m

is o two-way communication, and is successul precisely bec

o the active participation o communities in the planning

production activities o the radio broadcasts. It is the expressio

the community rather than a channel or the community. It prom

the exchange o views, brings people closer together, stimu

inormation exchange, and enhances the value o local knowled

Radio is an essential communication tool or inormadissemination to rural communities. Despite technological adva

in the communication eld, radio remains the most perva

accessible, aordable, and fexible mass medium available. In

areas, it is oten the only medium that can rapidly dissemi

to large and remote audiences. Smallholders Foundation

taken a technology which had previously been used primaril

commercial and advertising interests and transormed it into a

o local community empowerment and engagement.

Climate change is our new challenge. An opportunity exists, however, to use media like rad

to inform, educate, and improve the climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies

smallholder farmers.

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, Executive Director, The Smallholders Foundation


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Impacts

BIODIVERSITY IMPACTSmallholder Foundation programs have had a range o positive

environmental and biodiversity impacts by way o improved

eco-agriculture techniques, positive behavior change, increased

wareness o environmental challenges and their corresponding

olutions, and in serving as the catalyst or community mobilization

nd collective action.

Catalyzing community-led conservation

Communities are enacting and enorcing laws or the management

o wetlands and rainorest ecosystems. As one example o many,

mallholder Foundation project activities have led to the enorcemento two community laws which will conserve the Sclaters guenon (t.)

monkey, also known as the green world monkey. This community

eort came about ollowing a three-month radio drama on monkey

onservation. The organization also leads listener club discussions

on wildlie-related topics in order to spread a conservation ethic. The

lubs meet weekly or monthly to listen to specic radio programs,

discuss the topic and then provide eedback to the radio station.

Also as a result o radio programming and demonstrations, armers

re building better product storage acilities to save genetic

esources. The volume o agricultural outputs per acre is reported to

have increased dramatically. Programs and extension service projects

re said to have led to the conservation o over 23,000 hectares oainorest. Through the School Gardens Project, ve schools have

established green clubs, where students are taking the lead on an

extensive tree-planting program and the planting o vetiver grass on

teep and sloping landscapes, which helps to manage soil erosion.

Biodiversity impacts are measured through weekly and monthly

urveys. Key environmental perormance indicators include: the

number o smallholders adopting agricultural best practices, trees

planted by communities, community biodiversity laws enacted,

daily agricultural and environmental lead broadcasts, and crop

output per acre o land.

Adapting to climate changeOne example o an environmental program developed

Smallholders Foundation is a 20-episode radio serial dram

climate change management, designed to help smallho

address the challenges o changing weather patterns. Each epi

covers a specic climate risk management topic that is linke

sustainable livelihoods in Nigeria. Examples o individual scripts

episodes include: planting and using multi-purpose trees, pest

disease control in arable crops during climate change, water

soil management in the ace o climate change, restoring degr

orests, new sh-arming techniques in climate change, v

added sh-arming products, reducing livestock density, m

browsers and grazers (livestock that eat primarily leaves and grespectively), coastal areas management, coping with ext

weather events, using renewable energy, cultivating cassava

uncertain rain, crop diversication, heat and salt tolerant c

leading community responses and preparedness, and lobbyin

government action.


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SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

The programs and projects organized by Smallholders Foundation

each approximately 250,000 people in the rural communities o Imo

State. Through impact assessments, the organization has ound that

65% o listeners have reported improved livelihoods and increased

household incomes. Farmers have reported a 50% increase in

output per acre o maize, cassava, cocoyam, yam and vegetables.

The increase is attributed to the uptake o more productive and

eective agricultural practices. Household incomes are reported to

have improved rom USD 1 dollar/day to USD 1.50 per day.

The secondary benets have also been substantial. More households

are enrolling their children in school, as parents can aord basic

chool supplies and ees. Standard hygiene, sanitation and nutrition

have been enhanced. Through increased crop yields and diversied

agriculture outputs, local ood security has improved.

Through the radio programs, armers now have access to daily

commodity prices, which enable them to make more inormed

decisions on which market to target and trends in supply anddemand. Smallholders Foundation has also supported in market

upply-chain development, linking local producers with larger

markets.

The radio programming has been a platorm or community

empowerment, and has resulted in greater collective action and

community mobilization around conservation and livelihoods

ssues. Community-based organizations have ormed in response

o radio programming to address identied needs, including school

enovations, community water projects, and more. More directly,

evenue rom the radio station is used to support the establishment

o modern school gardens in community secondary schools and to

help students gain practical agricultural skills and experience orgainul employment.

POLICY IMPACTS

The Smallholders Foundation has been able to create a policy space

or rural armers a orum to literally air their concerns and the

challenges o local-level development and conservation. The eight

mall-hold armers recruited rom the local communities and trained

n broadcasting serve as inormation conduits and as moderators

o an ongoing policy dialogue. The broadcasters are fuent in the

ocal Igbo language as well as English. In addition, ten rural radio

management committee members were selected rom listening

communities to take charge o production, editorial responsibilities,

advertising (selling airtime to advertisers), and ensuring a high

tandard o programming that is responsive to local needs and

concerns.

The initiative was not initially designed to be a policy platorm or to

acilitate inputs into policymaking processes. The programming has,

however, granted communities a voice to air their issues, concerns,

and challenges. The radio broadcasting provides a platorm or

communities to solve their own problems, and to exchange

inormation peer-to-peer, and also channels local policy guid

regarding on-the-ground successes and challenges in biodive

conservation and sustainable use, arming, and income-genera

activities to reduce poverty. The Smallholders Foundation

established an interactive, two-way medium or the rural po

many o whom are illiterate to be heard, to keep inormed,

to become more decisive and knowledgeable agents in their

development.

The initiative has been a vehicle o community empowerment, g

rural armers condence in the value o their knowledge, and

capacity to problem-solve and be the leaders o positive chang

their communities. The spill-over eects o local empowermen

be seen in the upsurge o community-based organizations b

mobilized to address a range o environment and developm

challenges including rainorest management programs, w

together have led to the conservation o over 23,000 hectare

threatened rainorest as well as community enacted and eno

laws or the management o watersheds, wetlands, mangroves

wildlie.

8


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Sustainability and Replication

SUSTAINABILITYhe initiative has achieved a high level o institutional sustainability,

wing in larger measure to its resonance with and ownership by

he local community. Rural armers have experienced the direct

nd indirect benets o the radio broadcasting and the initiatives

roader work, giving the Smallholders Foundation a good deal o

ocal legitimacy and social capital.

Daily programs are broadcast through sources such as the

Nigerian Export and Investment Promotion Councils, Farm Radio

nternational, the Food and Agriculture Organization, CTA, UNESCO,

EISA, the International Trade Centre, local and national ministries commerce, agriculture and chambers o commerce. The revenues

which make the initiative scally viable are generated through

he sale o advertisements to willing buyers individuals, large-

cale armers, agri-business, small and medium sized enterprises,

ocal non-governmental organizations, government, and the

ommunities o smallholders themselves. Airtime is also sold

or public service announcements, personal greeting requests,

roduction agreements, listener subscription and program sales,

nd the production and sale o agricultural instruction manuals that

re adapted rom the radio broadcasts.

REPLICATION

he Smallholders Foundation has been active in sharing with other

ommunities and relevant stakeholders lessons learned on the

stablishment o the organization, the challenges and successes

t has navigated, and the environment and development impacts

hat are possible through participatory approaches. Knowledge

xchange and inormation sharing has gone beyond Imo State to

nsure other rural communities in Nigeria benet rom what has

roved a successul model.

Each year, the organization compiles its lessons learned into a

report which outlines the basic ideas and principles o its pro

and programming, the methodology o impact assessments,

key outcomes. The report is shared extensively with civil so

organizations with an interest in rural conservation and developm

and those with the reach to distribute to rural communities

report is also shared with ederal, state and local government

stakeholders that have been enlisted to acilitate internet discus

orums, conerences, workshops and seminars.

PARTNERS

Success with sustainability, project implementation replication are a result o a robust partnership o local, nat

and international stakeholders. One important unction

partnership serves is to provide the Smallholders Foundation

timely, relevant and audience-specic inormation and materia

agricultural management, environmental conservation, sustain

development and supply-chain market access. These mate

are vetted or relevance and potential useulness to the ta

population, translated into Igbo and broadcast to the 250,000

listeners. Partners include:

The Owerri Chamber o Commerce and Industry

Onitsha Chamber o Commerce and Industry (as well as o

chambers o commerce and industry in Lagos State, EnState, Kano State, and Kaduna State)

The Nigerian Association o Chambers o Commerce, Indu

Mines and Agriculture

The Trade Desk o Foreign Embassies and NigerianFo

Countries Business Councils

Imo State Ministry o Agriculture and Natural Resources (as

as their Commerce and Industry counterpart)

The Federal Ministry o Commerce and Industry (as well a

Agriculture and Rural Development counterpart)

The Nigerian Export Promotion Council


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Biodiversity conservation leads to sustainable livelihoods for the rural poor. This must be mad

a national priority.

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, Executive Director, The Smallholder Foundation

1010

Farm Radio International

The Nigerian Investment Promotion Council

International Trade Center - Geneva

Centre or the Promotion o Exports rom Developing Countries

- The Netherlands

The Food and Agriculture Organization, Agricultural Marketing

Department and Early Warning Systems

Guardian Newspaper Nigeria (which runs a weekly agricul

news page)

Trade Net (a Ghana-based trading platorm)

The Rural Communications using Radio and the Inte

(RANET) initiative, or weather broadcasts


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FURTHER REFERENCE

The Smallholders Foundation website http://smallholdersoundation.org/

The Smallholders Foundation PhotoStory (YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0Ne2m-V41U

Equator Initiative

Environment and Energy GroupUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

304 East 45th Street, 6th Floor

New York, NY 10017

Tel: +1 646 781-4023

www.equatorinitiative.org

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UNs global development network, advocating or change and

necting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better lie.

The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizati

o recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people, nature and resilient communities.

2012 by Equator Initiative

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