Success Story: Nursery Business Improves Livelihoods for Community
Mr. Buhari Safiu is a farmer trained as a Farmer Field School (FFS) facilitator and a member of the Ekperi Community Nursery Group of Edo State, Nigeria. This is his story in his own words:
I come from Ilorin in Kwara State but grow cocoa in Ekperi in Edo State, a leading cocoa-producing state in Nigeria. I started farming some four years ago in 2004 with the first set of cocoa seedlings I planted coming from Isoko Centre Local Government in Fuga, about 7 km away.
The local government introduced a cocoa nursery to the informal group of farmers I belonged to at the time. Initially we faced many challenges due to our inexperience in nursery management. For instance, non-germination or late sprouting of the cocoa seeds and the problem of insect pests were prominent.
With pods from the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria [CRIN], STCP-Nigeria in 2006, introduced the Community Based Nursery Scheme [CBNS] to us to help us establish and manage the cocoa nursery on our own. They also provided us with some materials like wheelbarrows and shovels to support our efforts. We also levied ourselves to build a well for water. The training helped us to learn many new things including planting and watering timing, correct planting positioning (cotyledon not to face downward), knowing the depth of planting, insect pest control management, and how to manage chemicals to avoid sickness.
There are positive results. In 2006, when we established our first nursery under the CBNS we achieved up to 70% germination rate. The following season, we achieved 98% germinate rate. Besides, we have noticed good growth rate/uniformity and absence of insect pest infestation and members are no longer complaining about skin irritation due to agrochemicals.
We are now in a position to establish and manage cocoa nurseries on our own and run it on a commercial basis to make money. We now offer technical advice on how to establish and maintain cocoa nurseries to other farmers for a small fee.
We also sell our seedlings and use the money to send our children to school. One of our members, Madam Patricia, who was not a cocoa farmer, sold her own share of the seedlings last year. Because of the gain she made, she has started planting cocoa. In all, we are now self sufficient in seedlings production and do not rely on external public services. Our current nursery is the only cocoa nursery in the whole of Edo State.
At home, I apply my knowledge and management skills acquired during the FFS to organize my family well. I now appreciate what my wife and children say. I listen to them more than before, and I facilitate family discussions instead of instruct. To sum up in Yoruba “Koda, eto yi ti mu ilosiwaju ba emi ati awon awon ara aba mi gidigidi” meaning “this program has brought a lot of development to me and the members of my community”.
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