DUTSE, Nigeria, June 19, 2026 — Hundreds of smallholder farmers across Jigawa State are set to benefit from improved income opportunities and reduced post-harvest losses following the distribution of agricultural processing equipment under a partnership between the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) and the Jigawa State Government.
The intervention, which targets 13 farmer groups across the state, is aimed at strengthening food and nutrition security, promoting value addition, and enhancing the resilience of farming households through access to modern agricultural technologies.
Among the beneficiaries is the Yanfari Groundnut Processing Group in Taura Local Government Area, whose members previously travelled long distances to process their produce, incurring additional costs and losing valuable time and income.
The distributed equipment includes rice milling machines, groundnut oil extraction units, cassava processing equipment, multipurpose threshers, and solar-powered irrigation pumps.
Beneficiary groups from Gwaram, Birnin Kudu, Dutse, Taura, Ringim, Babura, Kirikasamma, Garki, Kafin Hausa, and Hadejia received technologies tailored to their dominant agricultural activities.
Speaking on the initiative, the Project Lead, Mr. Albert Taru Mathias, said the intervention was designed to address critical gaps in the agricultural value chain by ensuring that increased farm production translates into higher incomes and improved livelihoods.
“For three decades, SAA has supported farmers through improved seeds, climate-smart agricultural practices and extension services.
“However, increased production alone is not enough. Farmers must also be able to preserve, process and add value to their produce if they are to maximise their earnings,” he said.
According to him, inadequate processing and storage facilities have continued to undermine the gains achieved through improved agricultural production, leading to significant post-harvest losses and reduced market opportunities for rural farmers.
Mathias noted that beneficiary groups demonstrated commitment to the project by providing shelters for the equipment and participating in training programmes designed to ensure sustainable management of the facilities.
He said SAA also trained beneficiaries on machine operation, maintenance, business management and value-chain development under its Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Market-Oriented Agriculture programmes.
Beneficiaries described the intervention as a major boost to their economic activities.
Mrs. Umma K. Adamu of the Hammayayi Groundnut Processors Association in Dutse said the equipment would save time and increase earnings for women processors.
“We used to process groundnuts under difficult conditions and often travelled far to access processing facilities. This reduced our earnings.
“Having the machine within our community will improve productivity and the quality of our products,” she said.
Similarly, Mrs. Fatima Dayyabu of the Yanfari Groundnut Processing Group in Taura said the intervention would enable members to expand their businesses and create employment opportunities for other women.
“This support has restored our confidence. We can now reduce transportation costs, process our products more efficiently and focus on growing our businesses,” she said.
Beyond income generation, the project is expected to reduce food waste, improve product quality, preserve nutritional value and enhance market competitiveness for agricultural products.
The solar irrigation pumps distributed under the programme are also expected to support dry-season farming and help communities adapt to the effects of climate change.
SAA said the initiative reflects its commitment to building resilient food systems through a combination of improved agricultural production, climate-smart practices, nutrition-sensitive farming, post-harvest management and market-oriented value addition.
The organisation added that empowering communities with both technology and technical knowledge would help ensure that increased agricultural production translates into sustainable livelihoods, stronger local economies and improved food security across Jigawa State.
