Propcom+

Project description / objective

Supporting climate-resilient, sustainable agriculture through MSD principles, boosting productivity, nutrition, food security, resilience, and lowers emissions while addressing conflict and insecurity. The programme aims to increase the incomes and climate resilience of 3.79 million vulnerable people (50 per cent women) in Nigeria.

Related programme: Propcom Mai-karfi (2012-2021)

Market system focus

Livestock and poultry vaccination schemes

Smallholder livestock and poultry farmers are disconnected from animal health services, particularly vaccines, leaving them vulnerable to diseases. This is primarily due to limited awareness on the importance of vaccination services, limited supply of suitable vaccines and suboptimal distribution and service delivery systems.

Climate-smart seeds and seedlings

Climate-smart seeds and seedlings can improve smallholder farmers' resilience to climate change. However, the poor adoption rate of these improved varieties contributes to reduced productivity. Limited supply and weak distribution channels further exacerbate this situation.

Biofortified crops and foods

Food and nutrition insecurity remains a significant challenge in Nigeria. Biofortified crops are vital for improving nutrition in households facing malnutrition. However, smallholder farmers often do not adopt these varieties due to limited awareness, restricted seed access, and low demand from processors.

Catalytic Climate Smart Agricultural (CSA) technologies    

Many CSA technologies and innovations capable of boosting farmers' resilience and returns are available in Nigeria. However, many remain untested and lack commercial validation. High upfront costs, limited access to credit, and uncertain returns make it challenging for smallholder farmers to adopt these innovations, even when they offer long-term benefits. 

Agroforestry and sustainable commodities  

Deforestation in southern Nigeria stems from high demand for cocoa and oil palm, timber, unsustainable practices and weak regulations. Global sustainability laws are reshaping market demands, and non-compliance may restrict sourcing, risking the exclusion of smallholders and farming communities from the market.

Programme interventions

Livestock and poultry vaccination schemes

Last-mile delivery of vaccination services (P1) 

• Support veterinary pharmaceutical companies to strengthen rural distribution channels for suitable poultry/livestock vaccines by leveraging the Community Animal Health Worker (CAHW) and Veterinary Paraprofessional (VPP) models to reach smallholder farmers.
• Develop the market for CAHWs/VPPs by investing in farmer education on the benefits of routine animal vaccination.

Increasing poultry and livestock vaccine supply (P1)

• Increase the National Veterinary Research Institute's (NVRI) production capacity to produce Newcastle Disease Virus Strain i2 (NDI2) and Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) vaccines by sevenfold.
• Facilitate investment opportunities for veterinary pharmaceutical companies to set up vaccine production units in-country.
• Work with regulatory bodies, veterinary input importers, and other key market actors to improve the ease of vaccine importation.

Piloting solar refrigerators for poultry/livestock vaccine storage and distribution (P2)

• Co-investing with Agrovet companies to test the functionality and commercial viability of solar-powered refrigerators for vaccine storage; and cold boxes for maintaining controlled temperatures during transportation.
• If the above is successful, help develop financial products for buying solar refrigerators and cold boxes.

Strengthening institutional capacity for livestock disease prevention (P3)

• Strengthen the supply and production of suitable vaccines and animal health services.
• Advocate for higher budgets in disease prevention, animal health, and sector strengthening.
• Strengthen disease reporting and surveillance systems.

Climate-smart seeds and seedlings

Scaling the community seed multiplication models (P1)

• Support seed companies to expand their seed multiplication targets.
• Generate and share evidence on the commercial viability of the community seed multiplication model to encourage adoption and support from market actors.

Scaling the rural seed promotion model (P1)

• Help seed companies expand rural distribution by equipping micro-entrepreneurs to promote and sell seeds to smallholder farmers.
• Increase awareness of the use and adoption of improved seed varieties by investing in rural marketing, awareness creation, and farmer capacity building through grassroots engagement.

Biofortified crops and foods

Aggregation and offtake of biofortified crop varieties (P1)

• Support food processors research micronutrient retention in biofortified produce to support its use in processing.
• Support food processors to integrate smallholder farmers into their supply chains through investment in production, aggregation and offtake arrangements.
• Connect farmers with seed companies for biofortified seeds and link aggregators with farmers to supply industry-needed biofortified grains.

Catalytic CSA Technologies

Piloting Electric Vehicles (EVs) for agricultural input and produce transportation (P2)  

• Co-invest with market actors to conduct action research on the functionality and commercial viability of EVs for transporting agro-inputs and produce across various use cases.
• Leverage action research findings to support the development of financial products that enable various market actors to purchase EVs.

Piloting solar refrigerators for poultry/livestock vaccine storage and distribution (P2)
Although solar refrigeration is a CSA technology, we have layered it under Livestock and Poultry vaccination schemes to improve the market system functionality.

Agroforestry and sustainable commodities

Policy support: Edo State forest and agricultural development strategy & operationalisation (P3)

• Support the strengthening of the Edo State Oil Palm Project (ESOPP) office and advocate for the passage of the sustainable oil palm law—the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) Bill. This bill defines land allocation for oil palm concessions and mandates the integration of smallholder oil palm developments, forest restoration, and conservation into the business model.
• Support the set-up of the Executive Board of the Edo State Forestry Commission and the appointment and onboarding of the Chairperson. 
• Facilitate TA to co-develop a 25-year Okomu Forest Management Plan in partnership with the Edo State Government.

Replicating Africa Sustainable Commodities Initiative (ASCI) in Ekiti State (P3)

• In partnership with the Ekiti State Government, conduct land and forest cover mapping, along with ground truthing, to assess the state, size, and geolocations of intact forests and agricultural lands. This includes identifying administrative forest boundaries, high conservation value areas, and the types of tree crops and commodities present.
• Develop updated land and forest cover maps and shapefiles for Ekiti State, incorporating land cover classification; prepare a proposal for the Ekiti government outlining a private sector-led agroforestry and restoration concession model.
• Facilitate the development and adoption of shared principles for sustainable oil palm production, including an action roadmap. Facilitate the signing of an MOU by the Governor of Ekiti State to operationalise ASCI in the state.

Piloting an integrated agroforestry cocoa PES in Afi and Mbe forest, Cross River State (P2)  

• Co-invest with market actors to conduct action research, including supply chain analysis, within a transboundary forest landscape to test agroforestry Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) models to improve smallholder cocoa productivity and enhance sustainable sourcing in line with global traceability standards. 
• Assess and design PES and carbon abatement models in collaboration with smallholders, incorporating incentive-based payment mechanisms for restoration, cocoa agroforestry, and avoided deforestation.
• Conduct feasibility study and design a Licence Buying Agents (LBA) service delivery model aimed at LBA professionalisation and responsible cocoa sourcing. 
• Engage and collaborate with selected farmers to establish climate-adapted seedling nursery enterprises, as well as pruning and artificial pollination services, to meet production demands.

Enabling policies (P3)

Facilitating the development of the Jigawa State Agriculture Policy, the Jigawa State Agriculture Investment Plan and the development of Gombe State Agricultural Policy through:   

• multi-stakeholder engagements and consultations and buy-in
• the development and review of the draft processes
• policy validation workshops and further updating of the drafts
• advocacy for policy approval and support for the integration of the policy into the appropriate governance systems and the implementation of the policies

Notable results

Enduring systemic changes

Livestock and poultry vaccination schemes
Nine lead market actors have invested in strengthening rural distribution channels for vaccination services through the model. 334 micro-entrepreneurs, a 268 per cent increase from the previous year, are actively providing vaccination services to smallholder farmers.

Climate-smart seeds and seedlings
Seven seed companies have invested in increasing the supply and distribution of climate-smart seeds through the models promoted by the programme, further adapting these models to new geographies.

Impacts for target beneficiaries

The programme’s output and some outcome-level results will be shared once approved by FCDO after the Year 2 (April 2024 to March 2025) Annual Review. 
 

[Profile updated: February 2025]