Quarterly Report FY2019: January 1, 2019 – March 31, 2019

The project works with multiple stakeholders, including smallholder farmers, input suppliers, grain aggregators, Nestlé, and local governments to improve the quality and quantity of maize and soy in the Kaduna State by decreasing levels of aflatoxins, fumonisins, and aluminum. This is being done through a comprehensive mapping exercise that identifies areas of high levels of contaminants followed by training and support at each level of the supply chain to reduce levels of contamination to meet high quality standards set by Nestlé. During the reporting period of January 1, 2019 – March 31, 2019, a total of 7,724 participants benefited directly from the program, with 4,172 new beneficiaries receiving training. The trainings were on methods of detection of aflatoxin, fumonisins, and aluminum as well as on harvesting and post-harvest handling of grains to ensure high quality grains. A total of 3,552 old beneficiaries were paid visits by 76 extension agents to ensure that they were following the trainings they received from the project on the post-harvest handling of grains. The project continued to broadcast the Hausa sensitization radio program on the dangers of the contaminants on humans, with a result of the listenership survey showing that about 1,131,073 people (17.8% female) listened to the program during the quarter. This radio program will continue in the next quarter. The project also introduced WhatsApp messaging for the dissemination of information to beneficiaries on improved technologies and other relevant information. The project is being implemented in nine LGAs in the Lere and Maigana zones with a total of 102 communities in both zones. During this quarter, an additional 4,172 beneficiaries were reached, bringing the overall total to 28,397 (20,030 male, 8,367 female; 4,870 youth) beneficiaries. The additional beneficiaries trained during the quarter consisted of 2,584 farmers, 1,329 members of CBOs, 20 agro input dealers, 220 service providers, 15 aggregators, and four grain merchants. The project's training curriculums are being developed in conjunction with Nestlé and partner Purdue University. Over 20,000 beneficiaries will be trained by project staff and local volunteers in effective mitigation measures to reduce the levels of targeted contaminants in maize and soy, increasing the available supply of safe, high quality maize and soy. The project's goal is to decrease levels of aflatoxins, fumonisins, and aluminum in maize and soy, and to increase the quantity of safe, high quality grains available to the market. The project's implementation is being monitored and evaluated through regular progress reports, which provide updates on the project's activities, achievements, and challenges. The reports also provide recommendations for future actions and improvements. The project's progress is being tracked against the project's objectives and indicators, which are outlined in the project's logical framework. The project's logical framework provides a clear and concise description of the project's objectives, activities, and expected outcomes, and serves as a guide for the project's implementation and evaluation.