A new initiative has been launched to empower cassava farmers in Osun State, equipping them with skills and resources to become agripreneurs.
The programme, known as the “Enterprise Development for Smallholder Cassava Farmers,” is a collaboration between Cato Foods & Agroallied Global Concepts, the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF), and the Osun State government.
Under the scheme, 100 smallholder farmers will each receive a half-hectare plot for the cultivation of improved, biofortified cassava varieties. In addition to farmland, participants will benefit from training, access to modern farming inputs, and capacity-building support designed to help them transition from subsistence farming to sustainable agribusiness.
According to the organisers, the initiative aims to boost cassava production in Osun, one of Nigeria’s top cassava-producing states, while also improving the livelihoods of farmers. The project is expected to increase yields, promote food security, and strengthen the state’s agricultural value chain.
By turning farmers into entrepreneurs, the partners hope to create new opportunities across the cassava sector, from production to processing, ultimately driving economic growth and reducing poverty in rural communities.