The Rural Development Programme (RUDEP) is one of the cardinal programmes of the Justice, Development and Peace Makers’ Centre (JDPMC), Osogbo. The programme was established in the year 1995 to promote sustainable agriculture and social development of the marginalized and disadvantaged farmers in all rural communities of Osun state. Through consistent agricultural extension and support services and development works, the programme has assisted at least 2500 farmers in 89 rural communities in 15 Local Government Areas of Osun state, and 35 communities of herders in 19 LGAs, aside from the numerous radio listeners across the 30 LGAs that have benefited immensely from our weekly sensitization programme and one-on-one advisory services, thereby complementing government efforts in the area of Agriculture and Rural Development without any form of discrimination. This has immensely aided sustainable food production and improved the livelihood of rural dwellers.
HOW DID THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME START
WHAT PROBLEMS EXISTED IN RURAL AREAS THAT LED TO THE INITIATIVE OF RUDEP
The Rural Development Programme of JDPMC started four years after the creation of Osun State when little activities of the state agricultural programmes were felt in the rural areas, particularly the remote communities. As of then, the Osun State Agricultural Development Programme (OSSADEP) was yet to be initiated and the rural dwellers who constituted 80% of the agrarian population were unwarrantedly marginalised. The pre-programme initiation rural communities’ situation assessment carried out revealed poor access of rural dwellers to agricultural extension programmes and basic amenities such as access roads, community health centres, electricity, and few numbers of elementary schools.
Additionally, the survey revealed poor agricultural practices, poor access to quality seeds and other agricultural inputs, high produce wastage due to poor produce marketing, poor knowledge of value addition, lack of storage facilities and difficulty associated with transportation of produce due to bad road, rural farmers with absolutely zero business perspective and low reinvestment decisions, high concentration of farming on aged farmers with an age range of 50-75 years with low interest of youth in agriculture, high gender inequity, low yield and income, and poor standard of living among farmers.
MAJOR INTERVENTIONS CARRIED OUT AMONG RURAL FARMERS
The Rural Development Programme of JDPMC started four years after the creation of Osun State when little activities of the state agricultural programmes were felt in the rural areas, particularly the remote communities. As of then, the Osun State Agricultural Development Programme (OSSADEP) was yet to be initiated and the rural dwellers who constituted 80% of the agrarian population were unwarrantedly marginalised. The pre-programme initiation rural communities’ situation assessment carried out revealed poor access of rural dwellers to agricultural extension programmes and basic amenities such as access roads, community health centres, electricity, and few numbers of elementary schools.
Additionally, the survey revealed poor agricultural practices, poor access to quality seeds and other agricultural inputs, high produce wastage due to poor produce marketing, poor knowledge of value addition, lack of storage facilities and difficulty associated with transportation of produce due to bad road, rural farmers with absolutely zero business perspective and low reinvestment decisions, high concentration of farming on aged farmers with an age range of 50-75 years with low interest of youth in agriculture, high gender inequity, low yield and income, and poor standard of living among farmers.
OUR RESPONSE TO IDENTIFIED ISSUES IN THE TARGET RURAL COMMUNITIES
TREND OF FARMERS’ COMMUNITIES REACHED FROM INCEPTION
FARMERS’ COMMUNITY (IES) REACHED PER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
MAJOR INTERVENTIONS CARRIED OUT AMONG RURAL FARMERS
Pastoralist-farmers conflict became pronounced in Osun State around a decade ago, particularly in 2013 during the leadership of the former Governor Rauf Aregbesola. This was due to persistent farm invasions, on-the-field molestation of female farmers, harassment of farmers by armed transhumant, and increasing fear of going to farm alone by farmers and degenerated peaceful coexistence between the settled pastoralists and their host communities in Osun state.
However, the observable effort was made by the then Governor in the area of establishment of centralized Committee on Peaceful Coexistence between Fulani/Bororo and Crop Farmers in Osun State, which was chairmanned by Hon Mudashiru Toogun who was the Commissioner for Special Duties in Osun State to curtail the mishap, little result was achieved as more pastoralists migrated into Osun state due to insecurity in the Northern part of the country.
Following the situation, assessment, documentation and analysis of the conflict and political will to try out innovative solutions to herders-farmers conflict was carried out across five out of the six Southwest states in 2017 through collaborative action of expatriate consultant and Justice Development and Peace Commissions in Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Ijebu-Ode and Abeokuta, and conclusions drawn from the field on working Towards a Peaceful Coexistence between Herders and Farmers in Nigeria.