Resource information
The National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP) is a sectoral national plan of Nigeria for the period of 2011-2014. Its main objective is enhancing total factor productivity in the agricultural sector through the application and diffusion of knowledge and improvement in the technology base.One of the components of the Plan is agricultural productivity enhancement. The main goal of this component is to boost output of food commodities through strategic interventions in the production, processing, storage and marketing of staple and cash crops, fishery and livestock products as well as to foster the development of smallholder agriculture and income generation in the rural areas, improve national food security and reduce poverty. The specific objectives include: (1) increasing incomes of rural farm households through increases in agricultural productivity, diversification and sustainable use of natural resources; (2) enhancement of food security of consumers through improved availability of food and access to a variety of foods and increase income of producers attained through efficient marketing; (3) enhancement of farmers’ and consumers’ access to support services such as extension, credit, nutrition and health education; and (4) fostering the participation of the poorer section of the rural population in the development of the community. The targeting mechanism is in favour of vulnerable groups as well as actual food insecure people. The primary concern is the poor small scale producers and entrepreneurs, particularly women, youth and the physically challenged. Clearly defined eligibility criteria are in place to forestall elite capture.Another component of the Plan aims at strengthening land and water management as well as providing land management services and additional water sources for all-year-round agriculture. It is targeted at extending the area under sustainable land management and reliable water control systems. NAIP will undertake a national soil testing exercise aimed at determining the nutrient status of soils so as to provide a guide for appropriate fertilizer use that are crop specific and environmentally friendly. The projects proposed for financing under the NAIP seek to ensure that all existing dams and irrigation facilities are exploited and managed through Public-Private-Partnership arrangement. The River Basin Development Authorities are to be restructured and managed in a more efficient manner with a view to making them centres for improved seed for crops, livestock and fishery multiplication, for the construction and maintenance (not management) of dams and primary channels, promotion of a strong extension system for the States of coverage, and more importantly, for the farms in their irrigated lands. The projects will support the provision of processing facilities for the major crops and livestock of the farm system of the Authorities; provision of potable water supply, roads and basic infrastructure for rural communities to facilitate access and product evacuation as well as to improve the environment to attract young farmers to the rural areas.Furthermore, the NAIP supports commercial agriculture. The main goal of this component is to provide the interventions required to support private entrepreneurs in varied commercial ventures in agricultural production, processing and marketing. The objective is to strengthen agricultural production systems and facilitate access to market for targeted value chains among small and medium scale commercial farmers in the five participating states. The NAIP resources will finance critical subcomponents which will boost the outputs in commercial crops, fisheries and livestock production, processing and marketing. Additionally, NAIP focuses on the critical linkages and support services needed to enhance productivity and outputs as well as increased income of farmers in Nigeria with the ultimate goal of attaining food and nutrition security and wealth creation. The principal objective of this component is to improve the access of farmers to inputs, raise product quality and provide effective linkages to market outlets. It also focuses on linking farmers to input dealers and product markets. It will also be used to enhance capacity building of farmers and core extension workers and agro-dealers. NAIP resources will be expended on such activities as fishery terminal, fertilizer quality control, seed certification, capacity building of farmers and extension agents; interstate pest control post, among others.The Federal Government of Nigeria will be responsible for the effective management and delivery of results of the projects under the NAIP. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is the national agency responsible for programme implementation. At the state level, the responsibility for field execution squarely lies with the states, in collaboration with the Local Government Councils. The communities will also play active role in programme planning and implementation. With appropriate support from site managers, consultants and NGOs, they will prepare and annually review their development programmes.
