FGN/IFAD-VCDP Distribute Farm Equipment to Farmers to Boost Food Security in Kogi, Empower 33 PWDs

The Federal Government/IFAD Assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP-AF) in Kogi State has distributed agricultural equipment to farmers and provided start-up packs to 33 Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) to promote inclusion, self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods.

The distribution, held in Lokoja on Monday, covered farmers who are producers, processors and marketers, as well as women beneficiaries across five Local Government Areas: Ajaokuta, Lokoja, Ibaji, Olamaboro and Kabba-Bunu.

Dr. Comfort Adejoh, VCDP State Coordinator, said the intervention was designed to reduce post-harvest losses, improve productivity and strengthen the rice and cassava value chains in the state.

She disclosed that while farmers contributed 30 per cent of the equipment cost, support for PWDs was provided at no cost as part of the programme’s social inclusion component.

Items distributed to PWDs include bags of rice, tables, chairs, bowls and POS terminals, with prior training on how to use them for small businesses.

Dr. Adejoh added that about 300 farmers received equipment such as knapsack sprayers, solar-powered pumping machines, threshers, wheelbarrows and shovels.

In addition, 350 women received energy-efficient cooking stoves linked to briquetting machines that convert rice husk and other agricultural waste into clean fuel.

The VCDP-AF is a joint initiative of the Federal Government of Nigeria and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) aimed at improving food security, increasing incomes and building resilience among smallholder farmers involved in rice and cassava production, processing and marketing.

The programme supports beneficiaries with access to improved inputs, farm machinery, processing equipment, market infrastructure, rural access roads, irrigation facilities and capacity-building through farmers’ field and business schools.

By targeting producers, processors, marketers and vulnerable groups such as PWDs and women, the intervention seeks to strengthen value chain efficiency, reduce poverty and enhance livelihoods in rural communities across Kogi State.