BAUCHI AGRI. DEVT

closed

The Bauchi Agricultural Development Project will seek to apply statewide the successful experience of the Gombe project (Loan 1164-UNI) which was located in the south east of Bauchi State. Similar to its predecessor, the project will consist of a package of farm support services and physical infrastructure designed to benefit some 425,000 smallholder families throughout the State. Support services will include extension advice, improved seeds, farm input supply and crop protection measures. Physical infrastructure will include the construction and maintenance of feeder roads and a major program of rural water supply. To implement the project the State Ministry of Agriculture will be reorganized to accommodate four zonal units of management, each modelled along lines similar to the Gombe Management Unit. A number of senior posts will be filled initially by internationally recruited staff and a massive training program will be undertaken to upgrade local managerial and technical skills. Consultant services will be engaged to recruit senior staff and to support the project management with specialized skills and services. A statewide study of the highway system will be undertaken to assess requirements for the expansion and improvement of the road network in support of the proposed project.