The purpose of the trip was to collect data in respect to the on-going master’s thesis: Impact Assessment of Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P) Approach to Agricultural Development in Nigeria. To achieve this, I collaborated with local academic and non-academic institutions to gather relevant data for the research. These institutions are; Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, located in the selected study area/state and the UK DfiD funded GEMS4 project working in the agricultural sector, implementing interventions using the M4P approach.
Data was collected from two hundred and forty (247) smallholder farmers; one hundred and twenty (126) farmers who are participants of market access facilitation using M4P approach and one hundred and twenty (121) farmers who are non-participants of this development approach within the study area. Also, key players in the agricultural market system—such as public and private agricultural researchers, extension agents, farmer leaders, and other key informants—were interviewed to get qualitative data for a deeper understanding of major market constraints within the study area.In order to achieve the set task, I recruited enumerators and translators of the local language within the study area and to administer structured questionnaires and interview guides for focus group discussions for different farm clusters, agricultural extension agents and agricultural development project implementers.
I travelled from Prague, Czech Republic to Abuja, Nigeria through Frankfurt and London. On arriving Nigeria, I travelled from Abuja to Kaduna state – the study area. Then within Kaduna state, I travelled to major local government areas such as; Zaria, Soba, Ikara, Pampaida, Giwa and villages.
All questionnaires were successfully administered and interviews conducted.
Kindly see below pictures from the group of farmers and agricultural development agents who work with the Kaduna Agricultural Development Programme (KADP).
