CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

Building Resilience in Agriculture and Rural Development, through

Sustainable Development Practice: Field Trip

Report Saki East LGA, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abiodun Adesokan, Adeola Adelabu, Adetokunbo D. Lawrence, Chinyere Gift Onuoha, Ikulajolu Raymond Olu and Odetayo Afeez Kolade

December, 2014

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Table of Contents List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................... 2

BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................................... 3

OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................................................................... 3

PROBLEM STATEMENT ........................................................................................................................ 4

PROBLEM TREE ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................... 4

BRIEF LITERATURE AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ............................................................................. 5

GROWTH ENHANCEMENT SUPPORT SCHEME .................................................................................... 6

Local Government Intervention .............................................................................................................. 7

METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................... 7

Study Area ........................................................................................................................................... 7

Data Collection .................................................................................................................................... 8

FINDINGS ............................................................................................................................................... 10

Land Ownership ................................................................................................................................ 10

Farm Inputs ....................................................................................................................................... 10

Product Marketing ............................................................................................................................ 11

Relationship with Nomads/Herds’ men In The Region ..................................................................... 11

Conflict Resolution ............................................................................................................................ 12

Marginalization ................................................................................................................................. 14

Capacity Building ............................................................................................................................... 14

FINANCING ........................................................................................................................................ 14

POLICY SYNERGY ............................................................................................................................... 15

LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESPONSE ......................................................................................................... 15

Establishment of Pilot farms ............................................................................................................. 15

Establishment of a Poultry Farm on the Local Council Secretariat Premises ................................... 16

Establishment of a Feed Mill ............................................................................................................. 16

RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION ............................................................................................. 17

REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 19

APPENDIX I ............................................................................................................................................ 20

Focus Group Discussion Questions (Farmers and other Community (non- Government)

Stakeholders ..................................................................................................................................... 20

In-depth interview Questions ........................................................................................................... 21

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List of Tables Figure 1 Problem Tree 5

Figure 2 A picture of one of the rocks in Saki-East LGA 8

Figure 3 The Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Saki-East LGA Making a Presentation 9

Figure 4 Some of the farmers during the FGD 9

Figure 5 Symbiotic Relationship between farmers and Herds’ men 11

Figure 6 A Cattle Rearer Gathering Cassava Peels for his Herd 12

Figure 7 Some Cattle Grazing 13

Figure 8 The Chairman of Saki East LGA Traditional Council and Onisanbo of Ogbooro (play vital role

in conflict resolution) 13

Figure 9 The Pivot Irrigation Project 15

Figure 10 The Crop Farm at the Local Council Secretariat 16

Figure 11 The Poultry Farm at the Local Council Secretariat 16

Figure 12 The Feed Mill at the Local Council Secretariat 17

Figure 13 Farmers Accessing Support at the Local Council 17

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BACKGROUND At the heart of sustainable development is a strong demand for preserving the Earth’s

resources- the ecosystem (everything that supports life within the biosphere- the

sphere of air, water and land), for future generations, even as communities and nations

around the world strive to meet their immediate growth and development

requirements in the present time. It has brought with it a forceful mandate for all

humans and Governments everywhere to give earnest to natural resources. There is an

urgency attached to this paradigm, because it inevitably has strong implications for

the ever increasing human population – which is predicted to reach exponential

explosions (9 billion by mid- century) in the future.

The import of this challenge was brought to the fore by Thomas Robert Malthus in

1798 when he propounded his Theory of Population In the theory he outlined the

discovery that population was growing at geometric rate while food production was

growing at an arithmetic rate and thus foresaw emerging food insecurity except

something drastic is done. The implications are clear- there will be a greater demand

on the Earth’s resources. However, the Earth’s resources may not be able to match

these demands if something is not done to replenish it, and to continue to do so on

an increasing and continuous basis. Important earth resources are those that play a

role in the production of food

OBJECTIVES

1. To do an overview of the effectiveness of the Growth Enhancement Support

(GES) Scheme

2. To ascertain how much information the farmers have about GES.

3. To evaluate the effectiveness of input supply in the GES.

4. To evaluate how the GES has helped farmers to build resilience, based on

resilience principles 5, 6 and 7, (as outlined later in this report) by encouraging

learning; broadening participation; and promoting polycentric governance

systems

5. To inquire if there are other policies related to Agricultural development

operative in Saki East LGA

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PROBLEM STATEMENT

“If Agriculture remains stagnant, Industry cannot grow”- Arthur Lewis

Majority of the Nigerian population live below the poverty line (below $2 per day).

Over 60% of the citizenry are involved in primary production (includes farmers,

fishermen, blacksmiths etc.). A larger part of these are into crop farming.

Agriculture has its own peculiar problems which are well documented. However, its

importance to the economy cannot be over-emphasized. Asides its key role of

providing food security to the Nation, Nigerian Agriculture serves as the largest direct

employer of labour and the major source of non-oil exports. In times past, Agriculture

was the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy before the oil boom. Recently, there have been

efforts to return Nigerian Agriculture to its pride of place. Several policies are being

put in place to ensure this.

Poor implementation of policies has been a limiting factor to achieving sustainable

development in Nigeria and most other developing economies. This problem hampers

the development of many sectors in the economy from Education to Healthcare to

Agriculture among others. However, due to the crucial role Agriculture plays in the

Nigerian Economy, we studied how policies and practice have helped to ensure

sustainable development. We also identified the policy-practice gaps

PROBLEM TREE ANALYSIS

The Problem Tree is a diagrammatic representation of the situation. It is represented

in form of a Tree with the Trunk of the Tree (represented by the blue box) showing the

Research Problem. The roots of the tree (represented by the green boxes) show the

underlying causes of the problem. The Branches of the tree (represented by the pink

boxes) show the effects of the problem.

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Figure 1 Problem Tree

BRIEF LITERATURE AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK BUILDING RESILIENCE

According to the Millennium Ecosystems Assessment Report (Moberg et al., 2014),

Resilience is the capacity of a system, be it an individual, a forest, a city or an economy,

to deal with change and continue to develop. It is about the capacity to use shocks

and disturbances like a financial crisis or climate change to spur renewal and innovative

thinking. Resilience thinking embraces learning, diversity and above all the belief that

humans and nature are strongly coupled to the point that they should be conceived

as one social ecological system

Policy-Practice

GAP

Food Insecuri

ty

Vulnerability of

farmers to

vagaries of climatic resources

Effect:

Low Productivity

Effect:

poverty

Effect:

Poor welfare

Rural-Urban migrati

on

Corruption

Cause:

Conflict with

Nomads

Policy Inconsistenc

y/Lack of Policy

UnderstandingDisparities in

funding and resources between Urban/Rural and

North/South

Low level of literacy

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The Millennium Ecosystems Assessment report propounds 7 seven principles which

are critical to building resilience in social-ecological systems. They are as follows:

• Principle 1: Maintain diversity and redundancy

• Principle 2: Manage connectivity

• Principle 3: Manage slow variables and feedbacks

• Principle 4: Foster complex adaptive systems thinking

• Principle 5: Encourage learning

• Principle 6: Broaden participation

• Principle 7: Promote polycentric governance systems

For the purpose of this study in looking at how much the community has taken

ownership of the GES programme principles 5, 6 and 7 will be appraised.

GROWTH ENHANCEMENT SUPPORT SCHEME

The Growth Enhancement Support (GES) Scheme is a component of the Agricultural

Transformation Agenda (ATA) aimed at subsidizing the costs of major agricultural

inputs such as fertilizers and Inputs for farmers (Adedapo, 2013). The Scheme which

kicked off in May 2012 currently has over 20 million farmers registered.

The Growth Enhancement Scheme represents a policy and pragmatic shift within the

existing Fertilizer Market Stabilization Programme and it put the resource-constrained

farmer at its centre through the provision of series of incentives to encourage the

critical actors in the Fertilizer Value Chain to work together to improve productivity,

household food security and income of the farmer

Goals of GESS:-

Target 5 million farmers in each year for 4 years that will receive GESS in their mobile

phone directly totalling 20 million at the end of 4 years.

• To provide support directly to farmers to enable them procure agricultural

inputs at affordable prices, at the right time and place.

• To increase productivity of farmers across the length and breadth of the country

through increased use of fertilizer i.e. 50kg/ha from 13kg/ha.

• Change the role of Government from direct procurement and distribution of

fertilizer to a facilitator of procurement, regulator of fertilizer quality and

catalyst of active private sector participation in the fertilizer value chain.

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These goals can be summarised as achieving:

• Timely delivery of yield-increasing farm inputs;

• Efficient delivery of yield-increasing farm inputs;

• Effective delivery of yield-increasing farm inputs

This reports takes a cursory look at the Agricultural Transformation Agenda. It tries to

find out the extent at which the Growth Enhancement Scheme (designed to enhance

agricultural productivity through timely, efficient and effective delivery of yield-

increasing farm inputs) has improved the productivity of the farmers in Saki East LGA.

Local Government Intervention The authorities in Saki East Local Government support agriculture development

through the following activities

• Enforcement of agricultural policies at the grassroots.

• Extension services to farmers.

• Training- farmers and youth- in collaboration with Nìgerian Directorate of

Employment, Oodua Farmers Academy.

• Input support programme to farmers-last planting season the following were

distributed to farmers-60 tonnes of fertilizer, 1100 knapsac sprayers, 1000 litres

of force up and vinash, 1100units of cutlasses.

METHODOLOGY

Study Area

Saki East LGA has its headquarters situated at Ago- Amodu. Saki East is situated in the

Zone II of the Oke- Ogun areas of Oyo State, in the south western geo-political zone

of Nigeria. Oyo state is a tropical region which favours the cultivation of food and cash

crops. Food crops found there include: Yam, maize, cassava, cowpea, sorghum,

soybeans, okro, pepper, groundnut, guinea corn melon, whereas cocoa and oil-palm

are among the cash crops cultivated in the region. Saki East has a landmass of 2000

KM2 and 11 wards, and going by the 2006 population census, Saki has an area

population of 125,026. It is regarded as the “Food basket” of Oyo State. The area enjoys

the services of the Oyo State Agricultural Development Project (OYSADEP). Though a

predominantly agrarian community, the people of Saki are also traders and crafts-

people.

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It is also important to note that Saki-East LGA (like most of the Oke-Ogun Area) has a

lot of hills and rocks. These rocks and hills have existed for several years and have very

rich histories. They occupy a crucial place in the beliefs and tradition of the people.

Figure 2 A picture of one of the rocks in Saki-East LGA

Data Collection

Some quantitative data was gotten from secondary sources (eg Data about estimated

Number of Farmers registered under the GES was obtained from the Chairman of the

All Farmers Association of Nigeria)

Data was gotten through qualitative techniques in order to determine the extent to

which the stakeholders were carried along before the outset of the GES programme,

and to assess their perception of how the programme has impacted on their access to

farm inputs: fertilisers, seeds, seedlings etc and how it has affected overall productivity.

We also sought to know how the scheme has impacted on the Socio-cultural practices

of the people of Saki East.

In-depth Interviews (IDIs) were conducted with the Director of Agriculture Saki East

LGA (Mr Femi Atunbi), Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) and

the Baale Agbe (the Head Farmers) of the Area. In addition, Focus Group Discussion

(FGD) was conducted with beneficiary farmers. The crux of data sought can be seen

in the Research questions outlined in the In-depth Interviews and Focus Group

discussion Guide (can be found in the Appendix)

The questions stated in the IDIs and FGD were quite flexible but not leading. This gives

room for probing to get further information and fill gaps in the answers previously

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provided. The proceedings of the In-depth Interview and Focus Group Discussions

were captured using a voice recorder and manual note taking

Figure 3 The Director of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Saki-East LGA Making a Presentation

Figure 4 Some of the farmers during the FGD

Information gotten from the In-depth Interviews (IDIs) and Focus Group Discussions

(FGD) was retrieved by transcribing the recordings of the proceedings.

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FINDINGS

Land Ownership

Communal land ownership is practiced in Saki East LGA. Lands are owned by respective

families and farmers have access to the land belonging to his family. In the case of an

outsider in need of land, purchase (or lease) can only be done through the family and

the Oba. No single person can independently buy or sell land. Private investors or

Government in need of land for agricultural or developmental purpose usually

approach the Oba who in turn contacts the family in charge of such land. An

agreement is fashioned to the satisfaction of all parties.

Farm Inputs

The Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) of the Agriculture Transformation Agenda

(ATA) plays a major role in the provision of farm inputs. About 3,000 farmers are

registered under the scheme (GES) in Saki East LGA. In the Focus Group Discussion

conducted with some of the farmers, they opined that the Growth Enhancement

Scheme has been beneficial to them and have brought about changes to farming.

Farmers have easier access to the inputs. Inputs provided on the scheme fertilisers:

Urea and NPK (a combination of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium), which are

provided at a 50% subsidy; and seeds (corn, cassava cuttings) which are given to

farmers free of charge.

The GES scheme aims to reach out to farmers directly via their phones by text

messages. Farmers are required to give feedback to the service provided and to

request for a local arrangement to cater for any gaps in the scheme. The frequency

and timing of alerts depends on the type and number of crops registered for by each

farmer and the availability of the seedlings, seed and inputs registered for. However, it

is usually received on an annual basis and the time of the year depends on the season

of such crops. However, a number of farmers failed to receive the phone alerts and

farmers have had to devise other means of reaching out to the beneficiary farmers.

This is usually done through the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) or the

association formed by farmers of the particular crop(s).

To complement the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, The LG purchases

inputs to distribute to farmers for free. In addition, the Local Government provides

tractors for land preparation at a subsidized rate of N3,000 per acre.

The Local Government has created farm centres (hubs) in some major towns to help

farmers save time and money in transporting themselves to the LG secretariat. These

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hubs provide access to some major inputs e.g. sprayers, pumps and hose for farmers

to borrow, use and return. The hubs provide these services free of charge or for a little

fee (as low as 50 naira).

Product Marketing

Marketing is a huge problem for farmers over there. There are truckloads of produce

going bad on the farm because there are no buyers. Many farmers are currently

indebted for this reason. Government assistance and is required in the area of

marketing in the same manner government have intervened in input supply.

Farmers need marketing control and price control. They requested restoration of the

defunct marketing boards or any other structure that can provide such services,

whether by government or private-sector driven.

Relationship with Nomads/Herds’ men In The Region

In one of the sites visited, we observed a mutualistic symbiosis between the farming

community and the herds’ men. The herds’ men help the farmers in peeling their

cassava. In exchange, they are obliged the cassava peels which they use to feed their

cattle.

Figure 5 Symbiotic Relationship between farmers and Herds’ men

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Figure 6 A Cattle Rearer Gathering Cassava Peels for his Herd

However, there are frequent cases of friction between farmers and nomads due to the

invasion of crop farms by nomads and their flock. The herds’ men have been very

inconsiderate troublesome. They encroach on crop farms and use them as grazing

fields. In the process, crops are destroyed and the soil structure in also destroyed. They

go further to attack farmers who challenge them and, in some cases, rape their wives

and daughters. When such cases are reported to constituted authorities, the farmers

sometimes feel that the measures taken are stringent enough to forestall future

occurrence. Some of the nomads (or the owners of their flocks are reputed to have

strong political connections.) Hence, famers cannot take desired actions. The situation

is making farming efforts become a waste at the end of the day. This remains a major

limiting factor to the growth of agriculture in the region. The farmers expressed fear

over the likelihood of famine in the future due to the impact of overgrazing on soil

structure and fertility. They called on government to seriously intervene with the

situation with the herds’ men (the Fulanis).

Conflict Resolution

Conflicts among crop farmers are rare in the LGA. Such internal conflicts are resolved

through our eldership mechanism. The older farmers’ cooperate a great deal. The

farmers hope and pray that this peaceful coexistence would continue.

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Figure 7 Some Cattle Grazing

However, there are common cases of conflicts between crop farmers and nomads due

to uncontrolled grazing and its attendant destruction of crops and farmlands. Such

conflicts are resolved by Traditional leaders at the community level. Complaints are

taken to the rulers who then do an independent assessment of the situation and

ensure adequate restitution is made to the crop farmers

Figure 8 The Chairman of Saki East LGA Traditional Council and Onisanbo of Ogbooro (play vital role in conflict resolution)

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At the Local Government level, there is a standing Committee on Peaceful Coexistence

of Bororos, Fulanis and Farmers (2003 Oyo state Constitution) headed by the Chair of

the LG, the SSS, the Civil defence, the DPO, Myetti Alla Cattle, AFAN executive or the

traditional leaders on rare occasions. Grievances are reported to the Baale Agbe or

AFAN executives who invite disputing parties before the traditional leaders, before the

LG committee or the police (depending on the severity of the matter).

Marginalization

There is marginalisation of fish farmers in the Oke-Ogun area. The government hardly

delivers on its promises to fish farmers. Recently, in one of the intervention programme

of the state government, there was a case where some fish farmers (2) paid for

pumping machines and only one had been delivered, months after the payment was

made and acknowledged. It is not certain whether or not the other would be delivered,

or when it would. Dates slated to Fish farmers for the pickup of supplies usually fail.

There are times when the dates mentioned in the alert notification are late. Farmers

reach the offices only to be told that the goods have been disbursed at an earlier time.

Up till recent times, there was no irrigation project in the entire Oke-Ogun region

despite the level of agricultural activities going on there. It is paradoxical that the food

basket of Oyo State has not been captured by the FADAMA programme of the World

Bank.

Capacity Building

This is usually done through the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN). Farmers

meet regularly under this platform; usually once a month to discuss issues and share

challenges. The farmers are highly cooperative. They do many things together. The

Government (Federal, State and Local) supports the association by organizing

sensitisation programmes from time to time. Development agencies such as IITA,

OYSADEP etc. also work together with the Government reach out to farmers on

different platforms.

FINANCING

Farmers expressed reservations as to whether government (at all levels) really seek the

growth of Agriculture. This is because of the low level of investment in agriculture.

Many farmers are indebted to banks and cooperatives and many become fugitives to

avoid embarrassment from their creditors. The situation is frustrating and they called

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on government to seriously invest in Agriculture. The farmers however commend the

current Minister of agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina for his efforts in this regard. The

farmers particularly called on Government to come to their aid in the area of product

marketing and provision of processing facilities

POLICY SYNERGY

A damning discovery from the field trip is the insufficiency in synergy between the

three tiers of government in formulating and implementing policies. The Growth

Enhancement Scheme of the Federal Government (which is a very good initiative) does

not have sufficient input from the local governments which are the closest to the

grassroots and hence have a more direct contact with the farmers.

Also, the Pivot Irrigation Scheme of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority

does not carry the LGA along.

Figure 9 The Pivot Irrigation Project

LOCAL GOVERNMENT RESPONSE The Authorities of Saki East Local Government led by the Chairman, Hon Niyi Olabiyi

has invested in a variety of programmes and activities touching agriculture. These

include:

Establishment of Pilot farms

Pilot farms have been established across the LGA for research and extension purposes.

These farms are set up to test crop varieties and pick the best suitable for the local

communities.

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Figure 10 The Crop Farm at the Local Council Secretariat

Establishment of a Poultry Farm on the Local Council Secretariat Premises

The farm serves as a source of Internally Generated Revenue, serves as training outfit

for intending farmers and students of agriculture, as well as address Protein deficiency

in the community

Figure 11 The Poultry Farm at the Local Council Secretariat

Establishment of a Feed Mill

The feed mill currently serves the LG farm but will offer milling services to the public

in the near future

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Figure 12 The Feed Mill at the Local Council Secretariat

Figure 13 Farmers Accessing Support at the Local Council

RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION • Harmonization of Policies by various tiers of Government: The level of

synergy between different tiers of Government is appalling. Government at all

levels should strive to work together in policy formulation, implementation and

evaluation.

• Need for massive government investment in Agriculture: As the nation

hopes to diversify its income source, it is important to invest massively in

agriculture to ensure it fulfils its potential as a veritable source of National

Income. Such investment will address infrastructure deficit, fund research and

extension as well as empower farmers. Government should consider setting up

an Agricultural Support Scheme Similar to YouWIN, but will focus only on

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agriculture. There is also a need for urgent investment in Infrastructure to link

up rural areas where most of the agricultural activities take place.

• Institution of price control and market support mechanisms (e.g buffet

stock system). The importance of pricing and availability of market to

agriculture cannot be over-emphasized. Mechanism should be put in place to

protect farmers from the vagaries of fluctuations in prices and demand. They

may operate like the Marketing Boards of old.

• Set up grazing reserves- Government should establish properly demarcated

grazing reserves to put an end to the recurrent conflicts between farmers and

nomads.

• Set up an efficient and effective irrigation system. This will ensure that the

farmers are able to cultivate the land all year round instead of depending solely

on rainfall.

• Need for a more holistic coverage of all categories of farmers: The current

input policy focuses mainly on crop farmers. Other categories of farmers

involved in fish farming, poultry production, animal husbandry etc. need to be

carried along in the programme or have efficient support programes designed

to take care of their own needs.

• Modernization of local production processes (eg Shea butter production)

in line with Global best practices. This will improve efficiency, shorten work

time and on the long run provide employment for locals. In addition, the

products will be more palatable and marketable which will ultimately increase

income of the producers and by extension, Shea butter farmers.

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REFERENCES Adebiyi Adedapo (2013): An Assessment of the Growth Enhancement Support

Scheme, published in This Day Newspaper of 16th July 2013

Atunbi Femi (2014) Agriculture in Saki East LGA, a presentation to visiting

University of Ibadan students by the Director of Agriculture and Natural

Resources

Island Press (2014): Millennium Ecosystems Assessment Report; A Toolkit for

Understanding and Action

Moberg et al.(2014): Millennium Ecosystems Assessment Report

Stockholm Resilience Centre : What is Resilience, an introduction to Socio-

economic Research

www.fmard.gov.ng/Growth-Enhancement-Support-Scheme

www.grin.com/en/e-book/197775/evaluation-of-poverty-alleviation-

programs-in-saki-east-local-governments

www.oyostate.gov.ng/ministries-departments-and-agencies/local-

government-and-chieftaincy-matters/detailed-information-of-the-33-local-

governments-in-brief/

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APPENDICES

Focus Group Discussion Questions (Farmers and other Community (non-

Government) Stakeholders

Research Question One:

Probe for information about the kinds of products available, the total costs involved in

procuring them and the subventions available?

I. How willing are (the farmers in Saki East LGA) to adopt yield-enhancing inputs

(e.g fertilizers, improved seeds etc.)

II. How many farmers are registered with the available GES service provider in Saki

East ?(from outset in 2011)

III. How many farmers have received phone alerts for input subsidy since the outset

of the programme in 2011? How frequently do you receive GES alerts?

IV. How many of the farmers who received phone alerts actually received inputs

since 2011

Research Question Two:

a. Encouraging learning:

I. What opportunities for interaction that enable extended engagement

between participants exist between/ among the farmers and GES service

providers and the Government.

II. To know what platforms exist that enable the farmers in Saki to network

and create communities of practice (with respect to effective utilisation

of inputs).

III. To know the ways and degree to which the platforms (in objective 4

above) impact on the productivity of farmers.

b. Broadening Participation:

I. What capacity building opportunities are available within the GES

programme?

II. What mechanisms are available on the platform of GES to deal with

power issues and potential conflicts?

c. Promoting Polycentric Governance:

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I. What governing bodies interact to make and enforce rules within the

GES programme on any other related agricultural policy within Saki?

II. How do these governing bodies enable broader levels of participation of

the farmers with other farmers within the state and at the Federal level?

What opportunities exist?

Research Question Three:

3. How long does it take on the average (7 days - 15 days) for the yield-increasing

farm inputs to reach the farmers? Are there any delays? What are the causes of delays

in receiving delivery of farm inputs?

4. To what extent does the GES programme ensure efficient delivery of yield-increasing

farm inputs to the farmers of Saki East LGA.

What transport mechanisms are available for the delivery of yield-increasing farm

inputs to the farmers? How are they organised? And who is responsible for them? Are

there any direct costs to the farmers? On the average, how much?

5. How far have the GES-provided farm inputs (especially fertilizers) been able to

impact on farmers productivity?

6. Is there any form of government interference militating against the efficiency of the

GES? Also probe for grievance procedures.

7. What system of land ownership is practised in Saki East LGA? What is involved?

8. What system of farming/ cropping is practised in Saki East LGA?

In-depth interview Questions

1. What level of information do the farmers in Saki East LGA have about the GES

programme?

2. To what extent has GES has helped farmers to build resilience by:

a. Encouraging learning:

I. What opportunities for interaction that enable extended engagement

between participants exist between/ among the farmers and GES service

providers and the Government?

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II. What platforms exist that enable the farmers in Saki to network and

create communities of practice (with respect to effective utilisation of

inputs)?

III. In which ways and to what degree do the impact on the productivity of

farmers?

b. Broadening Participation:

I. What capacity building opportunities are available within the GES

programme?

II. What mechanisms are available on the platform of GES to deal with

power issues and potential conflicts?

c. Promoting Polycentric Governance:

I. What governing bodies interact to make and enforce rules within the

GES programme on any other related agricultural policy within Saki?

II. How do these governing bodies enable broader levels of participation of

the farmers with other farmers within the state and at the Federal level?

What opportunities exist?

3. To what extent does the GES programme ensure timely delivery of yield-

increasing farm inputs to the farmers in Saki East LGA?.

4. To what extent does the GES programme ensure efficient delivery of yield-

increasing farm inputs to the farmers of Saki East LGA.