I have made it my mission to get proper machinery for rural farmers in Central Nigeria. I don’t know if you remember my blog ‘Meeting Mariga Farmers’. I wrote about how many farmers own around 10 hectares of land but can only farm one hectare. This is simply due to the back-breaking effort manual farming takes. Just imagine how much their profits could increase with a tractor, even by one shared within the communities.
My latest mission; sourcing affordable and useable tractors for our farmers - I think I’m finally getting close. Here’s my progress so far:
Attempt number one
I started by meeting with the managing director and some of the heads of department at NAMDA, The Niger State Agricultural and Mechanisation Development Authority.
Tractors were only one of the many things we discussed, and our other discussions did fair better. I thought I had a brilliant idea, spotting six broken tractors, I suggested they should be ‘donated’ to VSO for us to repair and give to the poor farmers in rural areas. However, it appeared like I made a good joke, because they couldn’t stop laughing.
They said they were doing their part by offering for hire tractors, drivers and fuel at N23,000 (£70). However, as rural farmers earn around £150 a year, this kind of price is rarely affordable.
Possible new options
A two-day long mechanisation conference in Abuja opened a few new doors for me. It was strange to find that out of the 100 plus attendees, I already knew about 20% of them!
As the majority of my experience in the agricultural industry is the business side, this conference was an amazing opportunity for me to discover more about different farming machinery. There is a real difference to researching the technology and being able to see it up close. I took a good look at something called a powered tiller, which could end up being more suitable than a tractor. It’s smaller but it is also cheaper, under a third of the price in fact.
A powered tiller, a possible alternative to tractors
The best thing was the real drive and passion in everyone present to stop importation and to get equipment manufactured in Nigeria. It was also pretty refreshing to witness their mutual understanding that first Nigerian quality needs improvement.
My biggest success was when I met the Chairman of a tractor hire organisation who took an interest in my plans. He told me about how his company helps small labour farmers buy new technology affordably. We arranged a trip for me and some of the farmers I’m working with to his office in Zaria (a whole 350 miles away). I hoped that after looking at their tractors and finding out more about the purchase model, they might, many fingers crossed, buy one!
Making the trip
So together, I, a couple representatives from local charities, and nine farmers travelled to Zaria. Zaria is in Kaduna state, which is north of Niger, and one hell of a journey. We were visiting the Tractor Owners, Hirers and Facilities Association of Nigeria, (or as they are known to their friends TOHFAN!)
Testing out tractors at TOHFAN
The scheme that TOHFAN shared with us allows farmers to cover the cost of a tractor over three years, with a 20% deposit at the beginning. On top of this the farmers would receive practical hands on training. Which is obviously important, otherwise as my mum would say –‘it’s all the gear and no idea’.
The farmers were greatly interested, chatting about the possibilities of purchasing tractors to share within their local farming communities. By relying less on manual labour, they can harvest a larger area and improve their yield. This will dramatically increase their income, changing the lives of their families, ensuring better access to food, health care and education.
Unfortunately, due to timings we aren’t able to sign up for a least a few months. On the bright side, this gives the farmers more time to raise funds for the next deadline.
Home again
Me and the farmers I presented the tractor plans to.
When I got back I presented the scheme to the farmers who’d remained behind. I wasn’t surprised about the amount of enthusiasm for the scheme, these farmers are already well aware of the advantages a tractor can bring.
What did take me by surprise was one farmer putting up his hand and asking if he could buy one outright. The cost wasn’t the issue for him, it was not having access to the information. Without the internet, farmers like him can’t research the market and find the cheapest option. This is why VSO is important, sharing knowledge makes such a powerful difference.
I will be spending this week finding him the cheapest deal possible. I’m so excited to get at least one tractor sorted!
Thank you
I am sure that is enough tractor talk from me for one day! But I hope you can understand my excitement. This is such a simple way that me, you and VSO can make a lasting impact to the lives of these farmers, and I can’t wait to see them making the most out of their land.
Thanks again for your amazing support.
Best wishes,
Ian
