Kano state in Northern Nigeria has about 23 dams which are largely underutilized. One of them is Watari dam and irrigation scheme, the third largest in the state, which was constructed about 42 years ago.

Left to deteriorate despite a total storage capacity of 104.55Mm2 and a huge potential for cultivation of vast hectares of rice, several irrigated crops and vegetables, thereby creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs, the Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project, KSADP decided to renovate it as part of its mandate to ensure food security and poverty alleviation.

According to Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, the State Project Coordinator, Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project, KSADP, “The main purpose of renovating the Watari Irrigation Scheme is to help in improving the livelihoods of our peasant farmers through providing easily accessible irrigation infrastructure, improving incomes, minimizing rural-urban drift and ensuring climate-smart management of the ecosystem”.

“With irrigation, you can reduce the economic weakness of smallholder farmers, but when you support this with good agronomic practices and planting of high-value crops, the farmers will be able to make more money that can help them live above the poverty threshold”.

“That is why we are working with Sasakawa Africa and KNARDA, across selected value chains, to impact on at least 550, 500 farmers, providing them with training, starter packs, inputs, warehousing and marketing services”, he emphasized.

Today, the project which was awarded at the cost of N314. 45 million a few months ago has been completed and lush green has returned to Bagwai and surrounding communities once again.

Yusuf Jadda, 45, from Bauje community in Bagwai local government area has been a farmer all his life. He has a wife, aged parents and eight kids to cater for. He owns five hectares of irrigable land but hitherto planted crops on only 1.5 hectares of land in the Watari area due to the dilapidation of the irrigation infrastructure, making it hard for him to use all his farms.

“For almost three years, the canals were clogged. We mobilized some farmers to dredge them but in three weeks, we could only do not more than one and half kilometer because we use physical labor. Alhamdulillah, we are happy that this renovation by KSADP has been done successfully. We contributed by helping the contractor because the work is very dear to us”.

“With this development, it is now very expensive to lease a farm in this area. Everybody has returned to his abandoned farm. Unlike before, I have now planted on all the five hectares and gotten results. I used to get about 30 bags of rice from my 1.5 hectares but with the seeds and other inputs given to us through the KSADP/Sasakawa cooperation, I have been able to reap 88 – 90 bags per hectare and this is wonderful”.

“On behalf of all the farmers in this area, I express thanks to KSADP, the LLF, the Islamic Development Bank and our long time friends KNARDA for their support. The government of Kano state should know that whatever the KSADP brings has reached the ordinary farmer directly. This is a high point in agricultural practice in Kano”.

Yusuf’s case is one of several examples. Besides smallholder farmers, the renovation of Watari has become a source of happiness and wellbeing to several individuals and families.

Yusuf Jadda in his rice farm at Watari

For instance, farm input dealers in the domain are also making profit and growing in numbers. Lawan Ibrahim, an inputs dealer in his 60s with about 25 dependants, attests to this. “Prior to this irrigation renovation work, I owned just one shop and only about 20 of us were into this type of business in Bagwai town. I used to have 15-20 farmers coming to buy my goods in a day. Now, sales have increased rapidly. I have six shops managed by my sons and more people in this town have now become agro input dealers since the market is there. Sometimes, more than 100 patronize my six shops daily. Alhamdulillah, we are making money, thanks to the intervention by KSADP, IsDB, LLF and KNARDA. I am confident that by next year, many of us here, in this business, would have saved enough to perform Hajj in shaa Allah”.

Lawan Ibrahim in his Agro chemicals shop at Tashar Bagwai

Another indirect beneficiary of the project, Tela Danjuma, a commercial motorcyclist who operates along the Bagwai –Watari axis is also happy that the renovation of the dam infrastructure has brought him and those engaged in same business more fortunes because they make more money owing to the movement of farmers and produce buyers in the area.

“I can tell you that averagely, we used to get something like N1, 000 – 1, 500 daily before now. With the revival of the irrigation work, a commercial rider here makes up to N2, 500 daily nowadays, and that is not bad at all, since many farmers and produce buyers are moving up and down the place. The irrigation work is definitely a stimulant for our business”.

Owing to the increased movement of farmers, extension agents and produce buyers, among others, around the Watari project vicinity, the place is witnessing a growing number of food vendors – from those selling rice and beans, those selling millet gruel, plastic containers with soybean cakes and Fulani milk maids selling Fura da Nono etc, all making good money to cater for their families. Other small scale businesses including recharge card sellers, second hand clothes sellers.

Food hawkers servicing farmers at a community near Watari

Remarkably, some pastoralists have chosen to settle within communities in the Watari – Bagwai locality owing to increase in availability of crop residue. They, in turn, are providing their hosts with fresh and fermented milk as well as organic fertilizer for farms.

But beyond the issue of renovating the Irrigation Project is the critical issue of its sustainability. Obviously, the state government cannot shoulder the responsibility of maintaining the project alone because of dwindling resources and competing public demands. That is why the project beneficiaries have agreed to support the government, to enable the project stand on its feet, for the benefit of posterity.

Rabi’u Na Sama’ila Mai Rake, the chairman of the Watari Water Users Cooperative Society believes that going by what they have started generating, they can support the state government in managing the project and conducting regular repairs of the irrigation infrastructure.

“The Islamic Development Bank and the LLF have brought us good omen. We thank Governor Ganduje too for the KSADP. Many people left their farms because there was no water to irrigate. But look at our faces now: we are excited, there is water, plenty water for year-round use! The import of this is that there is job everyday unless one is lazy. Therefore, since we are making money now, we have a duty to give revenue to the government to facilitate regular maintenance, so that the work will last long. We must save for community self-help work”.

As exciting as the Watari Irrigation infrastructure renovation is, it is only a tip of the iceberg! This is because arrangement is in top gear by the KSADP to extend the 962 hectare project by developing an additional 1, 000 hectares in the downstream of Watari dam. This massive intervention will give rise to an estimated 4, 000 new farmers of rice, maize and vegetables, translating into a big leap in terms of food security in Kano state.

Ameen K. Yassar

Project Communication Specialist, KSADP

1^st November, 2021

Animal rearing is an enjoyable social and economic endeavor for pastoralists but for Kabiru Ahmadu, a 20 year old young man who rears a herd of about sixty three cattle for his family near Dangora, in Kiru local government area of Kano state, animal rearing is a burden if he must take care of sick, tired and sluggish cows.

Kabiru’s plight is not different from that of most pastoralists in the state who periodically grapple with unhealthy livestock and its attendant implications on their livelihoods.

Animal health is a major issue of concern not only to pastoralist but to the generality of the people in Kano because it is from cattle, goats and sheep that the people get quality meat and milk which are rich sources of protein. Meat, processed in several forms and Fura da Nono, a local gruel consisting of milk and sorghum, are the habitual nourishment of the typical Kano man.

Besides, a significant number of youth and women in the state wholly or partly make a living from the livestock value chain including selling, milking, butchering, processing meat, skin tanning and transporting herds.

Nonetheless, the provision of dairy products and in the state has been threatened by declining animal health largely as a result of Contagious Bovine Pleuro-pneumonia (CBPP) and Paste Des Petit Ruminant (PPR) over the past few years.

Periodic outbreaks of the two diseases has resulted in poor animal in the state, leading to declining milk yields, reduced weight gain of the animals, especially cattle, and high animal mortality. These occurrences were however not well documented.

To worsen the situation, the government of Kano state, which has the sole responsibility of conducting the animal vaccination could not conduct the exercise for almost three years, due to dwindling resources and competing demands from the citizenry, among other reasons.

In the light of this and to help the state government to achieve food security, generate income and improve livelihoods, the Kano Agro Pastoral development Project, (KSADP) launched a state-wide mass cattle and small ruminants’ vaccination on 4^th April, 2021 at Dansoshiya Grazing Reserve, about 105 kilometers from Kano City.

The Islamic Development Bank and the Lives and Livelihoods Funds, through the Islamic Solidarity Fund, IsFD, released $219,718. 88 for purchase of the vaccines, consumables and logistics as well as training of the personnel needed for the livestock vaccination campaign.

For the first time in so many years, an unprecedented 746, 385 cattle and 558, 057 sheep and goats were vaccinated while the campaign lasted for about 10 weeks.

As far as Kabiru and indeed, thousand of pastoralists are concerned, a new lease of life has been infused into their livestock.

Kabiru (smiling) says: “As you can see for yourself, even the texture of the cattle’s skin is different now, they have become healthy. I can drive them many kilometers and they will not become tired. They are no longer slow and their bellies have opened up (they feed well). You can see those ones galloping with grace, particularly the calves and that is a sign of good living. We give glory to Allah for the vaccination. Our parents said it is the Islamic Bank and one other organization (meaning LLF) that shoulder the responsibility. We thank them profusely”.

Sulaiman Abdullahi, another pastoralist who corroborated the position of Kabiru Ahmadu, now finds it easier to milk cows in his homestead. “If an animal is not well, it will not feed well and if it does not eat properly, the milk yield will be low. Before the vaccination, it takes me longer time to milk the cows and the volume of milk I collect then is much lower than what I obtain now. I hope other states will emulate Kano by conducting similar cattle vaccination since Fulanis are nomadic”.

“About two years ago, our brothers in some homesteads lost five, 10, 20 and even more cows because there was no place to access vaccination for the sick animals. This year, since the vaccination I have not heard about the death of a single cow from CBPP. The fact that the vaccination is free shows that the state government, the Islamic Development Bank and LLF have us in their hearts”.

At Tasa – Fagi, Dawakin Kudu local government where the Kano Dairy and Livestock Husbandry Cooperative Union has a modern milk collection center, there is conspicuous movement of mostly youths and women bringing in milk.

The chairman of the union, Usman Abdullahi Usman was happy to announce that the livestock vaccination in Kano has made huge impact. “As I am talking to you now, more and more people are bringing in milk. Let me tell you that for instance, a woman that used bring in seven liters of milk here in the past now brings in between 10 – 11 liters. It is a sign of improved cattle health because of vaccination”.

He added: “honestly in the past, you cannot get this amount of milk because some of the cattle are not healthy. In fact, I know of places like Bunkure, which is a neighboring local government where high animal deaths were witnessed from time to time last year because the sick cows could not get vaccinated”.

The Kano Fura Da Nono Cooperative Union, the umbrella union for 40 cooperative societies with nearly 9, 000 members, mostly itinerant hawkers of milk and other dairy products, domiciled at Kofar Wambai market in the heart of Kano city also believe that the recent vaccination was worthwhile.

Its chairman, Alhaji Muhammadu Lawan Alaramma says:”Last year in a day, you find only a few drums of milk in the market. Those looking for large quantities have to go as far as Maiduguri, Adamawa and Jos searching for milk.  Now you can find one person with several drums of milk and everybody is busy in our market. I want to believe that it is because of the cattle vaccination held earlier this year. If the authorities can continue with it, economic hardship will be reduced”.

On the part of butchers, the vaccination has impacted on the quality of meat they sell to the public according to the traditioanl leader of butchers in Kano, Alhaji Isyaku Alin Muri.

“At the Kano Main Abattoir where my office is, we slaughter 30-40 camels, 120 cows and 300 – 400 sheep and goats on a daily basis. Previously, we used to condemn 20 – 55 animals monthly, that is those that are not fit for human consumption because of poor health. Since the recent vaccination, we condemn only 3 – 5 per month. The animals brought in here have shown increase in weight meaning better meat quality. The vaccination has worked”!

A Veterinary Public Health Inspector at the abattoir, Hamza Muhammad Sadauki stated that necessary quality assurance checks are conducted on animals on offloading them and post mortem conducted after slaughter. He said noticeable weight gain was recorded and the meat quality has also shown improvement. According to him, consumers are happy because the meat they buy is good.

“I remember there was a day 10 cows were condemned because the animals were certified unfit for human consumption due to CBPP. It was a sad day for the butcher because of the heavy loss he incurred. Immediately after the vaccination, things started to change and we identify fewer animals for condemnation. Even those that we get once in a while are those brought to this place from outside the state”.

Policy makers are also glad that livestock vaccination in the state was reintroduced after a three year break. The Managing Director of the Kano Agricultural and Rural Development Agency, KNARDA, Dr. Junaidu Yakubu Muhammad described it as a major milestone for the people because of the impact it created along the livestock value chain.

“A major constraint to increasing animal production and improving productivity is lack of vaccination. The state government, therefore, appreciates IsDB, LLF and IsFD for the tremendous support extended in ensuring that the vaccination is conducted throughout the state free of charge”. 

Ameen K. Yassar

Communication Specialist,

KSADP

29^th September, 2021