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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 -
7/27/2019 Case Studies UNDP: SMALLHOLDERS FOUNDATION, Nigeria
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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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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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55
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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66
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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9
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
All rights reserved
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