From learning a skill to building a business, 103 women in Bauchi North are gaining the practical training, business knowledge and start-up tools they need to create new income opportunities for themselves and their families.


From learning a skill to building a business, 103 women in Bauchi North are gaining the practical training, business knowledge and start-up tools they need to create new income opportunities for themselves and their families.

What if restoring Bauchi North’s land starts with changing everyday farming behaviours? Across seven LGAs, FSSS is taking climate-smart messages from farms to radio stations and schools, encouraging farmers and the next generation to protect trees, restore soils, conserve water and build more resilient livelihoods through the ESTRRA Project.

From classroom lessons to hands-on tree planting, FSSS is helping students across Bauchi North become young environmental champions and stewards of a greener future.

A baseline study revealed why so many families in Northern Bauchi struggle with food insecurity. This article shows how the ESTRRA Project is turned that research into action by empowering over 500 households with nutrient-dense, climate-smart crops that promise healthier harvests and brighter futures.

In Chibiyayi, a quiet but vibrant farming community in Bauchi State, a new greenhouse is opening fresh possibilities for vegetable farmers. Through the ESTRRA Project, Abdullahi Ya’u Chibiyayi and his community are witnessing a shift from traditional seedling practices to a more resilient, climate-smart approach to agriculture. The Farmers’ Hub, complete with a greenhouse, is not only improving access to quality seedlings but also strengthening local farming systems and renewing hope for better harvests and stronger livelihoods.

FSSS, with support from the HEINEKEN Africa Foundation, trained Community-Based Organisations in Northern Bauchi on improved seed production under the ESTRRA Project. The initiative aims to strengthen community seed systems, increase access to certified seeds, and equip local organisations with the skills and resources needed to establish sustainable seed enterprises that improve agricultural productivity and resilience.

Meet Mohammed Dahiru Auwal, a young pharmacology graduate and agrochemical dealer from Bulkachuwa, Katagum LGA, whose dream of expanding his family’s agro-input business is becoming a reality through the ESTRRA Project. With support from FSSS and the HEINEKEN Africa Foundation, a rehabilitated agro-store and newly established Farmers’ Hub are helping him serve farmers better while creating new opportunities for his community.

The ESTRRA Project, funded by the Heineken Africa Foundation, has distributed over ₦10 million worth of agro-inputs to six Farmers’ Hubs across Northern Bauchi, improving smallholder farmers’ access to quality agricultural products while strengthening local agricultural service delivery systems and hub management capacity.

Meet Sabiu Adamu, an agro-input dealer from Kurba, Giade LGA, whose business and community are being transformed through the ESTRRA Project’s Farmers’ Hub model. With support from the Foundation for Sustainable Smallholder Solutions (FSSS) and the HEINEKEN Africa Foundation, Sabiu now has access to quality suppliers, stronger market connections, and a community hub that is bringing essential agricultural services closer to farmers.

Six months into implementation, the ESTRRA Project is already transforming livelihoods across Northern Bauchi. Funded by the HEINEKEN Africa Foundation and implemented by FSSS, the initiative is helping thousands of smallholder farmers access agricultural services, expand income opportunities, strengthen rural enterprises and build resilience to climate change. From empowering women and youth to supporting agripreneurs and restoring degraded landscapes, the project is laying the foundation for a more prosperous and sustainable future.