Latest News

Nnaemeka was named "Young Person of the Year 2011" by Nigeria's most prestigious youth awards The Future Awards. The Future Awards which is powered by The Future Project (TFP) is social enterprise/change movement which empowers Nigeria's young people and re-directs them towards adding value to themselves and society with strong, positive messages of hope and practical change.

The Future Awards "Young Person of the Year" is the biggest of all the youth awards in Nigeria. It is for that Nigerian between 18 and 31 who has blazed a trail and achieved mind blowing success in any field, thereby becoming an ultimate role model of talent and hard work for millions of young people. The person must also be a Nigerian with visible leadership skills and who projects positive values that young people primarily, and then the whole of Nigeria, can connect with. Young people must aspire to be like this person. There is no shortlist for this category. All nominees are finalists, because they are pulled out of every other category they would have been in to compete for the ultimate prize.

Our Smallholders Computer learning Center is now open.

The computer learning center offers free computer classes to farmers and their children in computer appreciation, word processing, spreadsheet and use of the internet to source for information.

We used our World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Awards 2010 grant to fund this project.

After several months of planning and unplanning, we began our microloans disbursement through the "Smallholders Microloans Program" in January.

We gave out micro loans to the first batch of 27 rural women and men selected from 5 farmer cooperatives in Obitti Village of Ohaji/Egbema LGA of Imo State.

On Tuesday the 19th of January 2011, we also gave out microloans to the 2nd batch of 30 women and men in Nkwerre LGA of Imo State.

Finally...we have developed the entire scripts for the 20 episode Climate Change Management radio serial drama. Each drama episode covers a specific climate risk management topic that will secure the livelihood of smallholders. The developed scripts are:

Episode 1: General Introduction to radio drama and the concept of climate change

Episode 2: Planting and using multi-use trees

Episode 3: Pest and Disease control in arable crops during climate change

Episode 4: Water and soil management in climate change

Episode 5: Restoring degraded forests

Episode 6: Avoiding Slash and Burn agriculture

Episode 7: New fish-keeping techniques in climate change 1

Episode 8: New fish keeping techniques in climate change 2

Episode 9: Value added fish keeping products

Episode 10: Livestock management in a climate change

Episode 11: Reducing livestock density

Episode 12: Mixing browsers and grazers

Episode 13: Coastal areas management

Episode 14: Coping with extreme weather events

Episode 15: Using renewable energy

Episode 15: Preventing soil erosion and flooding

Episode 16: Cultivating cassava when rains are uncertain

Episode 17: Mixed cropping during climate change

Episode 18: Heat and salt tolerant crops

Episode 19: Leading community response and preparedness

Episode 20: Lobbying for government action

The entire scripts, the recordings and their comics will be uploaded on our project website www.climatechangeonair.org. This website will be accessible as from June 1st 2011.

The Smallholders Foundation is a non-governmental organization which promotes sustainable agricultural productivity and environmental conservation beneficial to rural poor small farmers, through educational radio programs and on field practical demonstrations. We seek to encourage young people's participation in agriculture. Our School Gardens Projects imparts sustainable agricultural, environmental conservation, entrepreneurship and financial planning skills on young people through the establishment of modern school gardens in secondary schools.

Through this project we work with young people to:

• Establish similar gardens at home, earn income and support their parents,
• Establish micro/small/medium agribusinesses,
• Advance studies and careers in agriculture and environmental management.

We hereby call for mini-grant applications from Young Farmer Clubs in Nigeria secondary schools to support existing school gardens projects, which directly benefits students.

Application Guidelines

To receive mini-grants Young Farmer Clubs and secondary schools must have existing School Garden or Farm Projects such as poultry, fishery, piggery, vegetable farm, crops farm, fruits orchard etc

Mini grants applications must have a budget maximum of N50, 000 (Fifty Thousand Naira Only)

School must have a Young Farmers Club which coordinates the farm and directly benefits from the farm under the supervision of a school teacher or school principal.

The applicant must indicate the nature or type of their farm and apply to either include new livestock or crop variety on the farm or expand the land area of an existing farm.

Applications for the establishment of new school farms/garden will not be accepted.

Application Forms may be completed by members of the Young Farmer Clubs, a school teacher or principal acting on their behalf.

Application Forms must be endorsed by The School Principal.

All sections of the application form should be fully completed.

The deadline for the submission of all application forms is 31st March, 2011, applications received after this deadline will not be accepted.

All applications should be submitted to:

Mr. Kalu Maduabuchi,

Rural Livelihoods Expert,

The Smallholders Foundation,

1 Umugakwo - Umuoba Road, Off MCC - Uratta Road,

P.O. Box 3508,

Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.

smallholders.minigrants@gmail.com

+2348037092893

All enquiries about the application form or process, should be directed to Mr. Kalu Maduabuchi abuchi@smallholdersfoundation.org or please phone us on +2348037092893.

Mini Grants Program Form

Mini Grants Program Form