Born into a poor farming family in the remote village of KukarRabo, Katsina State, Alhaji Ashafa did not have access to formal education and began farming at a young age. Now in his fifties, he reflects on his farming journey, stating, “For over 25 years, I never received guidance from extension workers, and all I could do was provide food for my family.”
Ashafa primarily cultivates maize and sorghum during the main planting season and grows vegetables near a riverbed in the dry season. However, he has faced numerous crop failures over the years. When rainfall is sufficient, he harvests around 25 to 35 bags of grains, mostly used to feed his two wives and 12 children. Despite farming for over a decade, Alhaji Ashafa’s use of fertilizer, acquired from fellow farmers in the village, has resulted in little to no increase in his production. To obtain farm inputs, he must travel 20 km to Batsari town, where adulteration of fertilizers is common. Ashafa explains, “I usually buy 3-5 Tiyas of fertilizer each time I prepare my land for planting.” (“Tiya” refers to a local measuring system used by retailers selling from open bags of fertilizer in the market.)
Significant change entered Ashafa’s life when he was visited on his farm by Alhaji Audu Mobe, a trained Village Promoter from Notore and its partners. Mobe was equipped to educate small-scale farmers in Batsari local government area about best practices in fertilizer application and improve their access to premium quality Notore fertilizer. During the visit, Mobe gathered approximately 25 farmers on Ashafa’s plot, explaining the appropriate fertilizer application method and setting up a pepper demonstration plot to compare traditional farming practices with Notore’s recommended approach. Alhaji Ashafa recalls, “We argued that he was wasting his time and energy as the application process was too strenuous.” It took Mobe’s passionate plea for the farmers to agree to wait and observe the outcome of both practices before determining the better approach. After four weeks, Ashafa noticed that Mobe’s recommended practice yielded better results than the other parts of his farm, showing signs of flowering. Ashafa promptly decided to tend to the rest of his farm following Mobe’s method. “Thank God I did. Now my yields are better than ever since I started growing vegetables,” Ashafa concluded. The farmers also learned about using improved seeds, proper spacing, and correct fertilizer dosage from the Village Promoter.
Today, Alhaji Ashafa no longer applies fertilizer six times per season, as he learned from his parents. He no longer travels long distances to buy fertilizer and no longer wastes money by simply applying fertilizer on top of the soil. When asked about the benefits of Notore’s training, the beaming Alhaji Ashafa said, “With the Notore approach, I spend less than half of what I used to spend on fertilizers, and I am getting over a 300% increase in yield.” He added, “I watch my crops grow healthy with deep green leaves and bigger fruits.” Alhaji Ashafa plans to use the extra income from his improved yields to enroll his children in school and purchase a motorbike. He proudly declares, “I am no longer a poor farmer, thanks to Notore.”