The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) has announced a partnership with Alluvial Agriculture, a collective farming business grouping thousands of smallholders in Nigeria.

“Alluvial’s direct engagement with various value chain actors, including farmers, provides CIAT with a conduit to rapidly disseminate agriculture innovations acquired and developed through our partnerships and activities around the world,” said CIAT Regional Director for Africa, Dr Debisi Araba. “CIAT provides Alluvial with the know-how, monitoring and evaluation framework to ensure that the investment in Nigeria is globally competitive and environmentally sustainable, and ensures that the investment is able to evolve and respond to market signals.”

Together, CIAT and Alluvial plan to establish a replicable model for scaling up adoption of agricultural technologies and innovations to improve livelihoods across the food value chain and foster environmental sustainability of agricultural development said Dr Araba. “This partnership is poised to support and benefit all value chain actors, including those working in the production, distribution and consumption hubs of the food system,” added Dr Araba.

CIAT’s initial five-year plan with Alluvial will focus on climate change adaptation, soil fertility and mapping, yield optimisation and make markets work for the poor, among other areas being explored by the two organisations. Their findings will be reported at least twice a year.

“CIAT’s work through Alluvial will make a difference to the lives of whole communities, as well as providing scientific and social lessons applicable to CIAT’s extensive network across the tropical world,” said Alluvial Managing Director, Dimieari Von Kemedi.

It’s the Niger Delta that’s the initial focal point for Alluvial, which literally means the product of alluvium, or deposits of clay, silt and sand left by floodwater in a river valley or delta that typically produces fertile soil. Notorious for oil-related tensions, the Niger Delta is less known for its rich soil, supporting abundant agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture. Mr Kemedi, a pacifist protest leader who played a leading role in the Niger Delta peace accords a decade ago, set out to change this with the creation of Alluvial in 2011.

“CIAT presents a fantastic opportunity for Alluvial as we benefit directly from many decades of research and experience that CIAT will bring to our community block model to improve yield and make markets work for the poor,” said Mr Kemedi. “We will celebrate success only when our work helps farmers to earn higher incomes and contributes to food security.”