The Adopted Village Project and Farm Income of Beneficiary Households in Kaduna State, Nigeria

About three years into the Adopted Village Project introduced by National Agricultural Extension and Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) in 2009, this study assessed the extent to which the project has improved the farm income and livelihood status of beneficiaries in the study area. Data were collected by interview schedule using a structured questionnaire, which was analysed using descriptive and Z-test statistics. The result shows that, about 89% of the project beneficiaries had between 1 - 8 extension contacts in 2011 cropping season, while non-beneficiaries had no contact with extension agents during the period. The study also revealed that the average income per hectare generated and the average value of assets owned by beneficiaries from the 2011 farming are statistically significant. This implies that the project intervention has significant impact on the income generating capacity of the beneficiaries of the project as well as on acquisition of assets. The study recommended that the NAERLS should intensify its efforts in the pilot villages and scale out its adopted village projects to other parts of the State. Also, policy makers, local government authorities and rural development experts should adopt this model in their programme planning and poverty alleviation initiatives.