Value Seeds and Mastercard Foundation to support 10,000 women farmers’ recovery and resilience in Nigeria

10,000 women in Nigeria will be selected as direct beneficiaries of a two-year agricultural intervention, as Value Seeds launches their COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Intervention Project in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

The program is expected to significantly increase the volume of premium maize and rice grains in the market by about 450,000 tons. It will also create indirect jobs in the crop value chain, including input dealers, farm labourers, transporters, logistic officers, marketers’ off-takers, feed millers, and staff in the agro processing industry.

George Kabutha, Project Lead, Value Seeds: ”The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have aggravated constraints affecting farmers’ productivity by making inputs more expensive and market logistics more tedious for the smallholder farmer. We intend to improve farmers’ yields by providing access to improved seeds, quality crop production inputs, and strengthening their capacity to produce optimally.”

Chidinma Lawanson, Country Head Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation said: ”Value Seeds advocate that a bottoms-up agricultural transformation is the best path to inclusive economic growth to build the resilience of the Nigerian population. The goal of the project is in alignment with the Mastercard Foundation COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Program, which focuses on the provision of direct support to companies in the agricultural value chain, specifically to ensure that smallholder farmers have access to markets and to maintain food security.”

Through this intervention, Value Seeds contributes to re-igniting the Nigerian economy and ensure food supply chains  enhancement, thereby increasing the economic health of small- holder farmers while improving employment indices.