Nutrition: 1,445 households get toolkits for home gardening in Kano

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) under the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Component 2 has launched distribution of toolkits for home gardening to 1,445 households in Kano state.
The initiative, under the SAPZ’s Targeted Nutrition Support Programme, has launched the distribution the toolkits to beneficiary households across 8 local government areas of the state from 3rd to 6th October, 2025
The initiative is introduced to empower households, particularly women and vulnerable groups by enabling them cultivate nutrient-rich vegetables and crops at home, aimed at enhancing food security in the state and the nation at large.
Speaking at the launch of the initiative in Kano on Friday, 3rd October, State Project Coordinator (SPC) of the SAPZ, Aminu Iliyasu disclosed that 180 women, each from the 8 local government areas would benefit with the toolkits.
He listed the benefiting local government areas as Kura, Garun-Mallam, Bebeji, Dambatta, Gezawa, Dawakin-Tofa, Bichi and Bagwai.
According to Iliyasu the initiative is primarily to improve dietary diversity, ensure continuous access to fresh nutrient-rich foods by enabling households particularly women to grow vegetables and small scale crops within their homes.
The SAPZ Coordinator explained that the aim of the initiative is to provide access to appropriate gardening implements such as gardening tools and inputs to enable families to cultivate variety of vegetables and small scale crops suited to their local environment.
He added that it would help in lowering food expenses of household, sell surplus produces for additional income and build Self-sufficiency overtime this contributes to greater economic stability and reduce vulnerability to external shocks such as price fluctuation and food shortage.
“It also aimed at providing these basic resources so as to remove barriers, so as households with limited prior farming experience can participate fully in this initiative.
“ The initiative will help empower families to grow their own fresh produce, thereby enhancing dietary diversity and reduce dependence on external food sources.
“It will address micro-nutrients deficiencies and mal-nutrition particularly among children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups within the household.
“ To lower food expenses of household, sell surplus produces for additional income and build Self-sufficiency overtime this contributes to greater economic stability and reduce vulnerability to external shocks such as price fluctuation and food shortage.
At the end, the SAPZ Coordinator pointed out that the initiative is expected to increase in household production of nutrient-dense vegetables, which contributes to reduce levels of malnutrition especially among children under 5, pregnant and lactating mothers.
“ It is expected that the programme would help Improve household food security and resilience against economics shocks. Women and youth empowerment through ownerships and management of home gardens. Strengthens community engagement and ownership of nutrition sensitive of Agricultural interventions
Support to local suppliers and stimulation of local economic activities through procurement of material,x Iliyasu explained.
In his remarks, the Kano state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr Danjuma Mahmoud, described the initiative as a bold vision of a Nigeria “ where agriculture is not merely about subsistence, but about empowerment; not merely about producing food, but about nourishing people, creating livelihoods, and transforming communities.”