As part of efforts to capture the realities of MSMEs in Nigeria’s food system accurately and advance food safety research in Nigeria, the Michigan State University in partnership with Binomial Optimus Limited (BOL), has organised a five-day in-person training for data collectors on the Research Supporting African Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to Provide Safe and Nutritious Food (RSM2SNF) project.
The training, which held at the University of Ibadan Centre for Sustainable Development (CESDEV) building at Bodija, was focused on high-quality field work, ethical principles and data collection in survey research to accurately capture the realities of MSMEs in Nigeria’s food system.
The RSM2SNF project aims to understand challenges faced by food-processing MSMEs in adopting and implementing food safety management systems in Nigeria. MSU researchers will use the data to develop tailored strategies and tools to help these MSMEs produce safer food and improve nutrition.
The RSM2SNF project is funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to generate evidence that will guide strategies for improving food safety practices among MSMEs in Nigeria. Study findings will be shared with key public and private sector stakeholders to inform policies and programs that support MSMEs in adopting food safety standards
Speaking on the project, Dr Monday Shaibil of the Michigan State University stated that “we are excited to partner with BOL to gain critical insights into how we can support MSMEs in providing safe, nutritious food. The RSM2SNF project will help identify key challenges and solutions so we can empower these enterprises to strengthen Nigeria’s food system and support its development goals.”
The training covered project objectives, benefits to participants, and the importance of voluntary informed consent and confidentiality. Data collectors that participated learnt techniques for effective communication, objective data gathering, and mitigating bias while they participated in simulated surveys and role-playing to apply best practices.
BOL is acclaimed as an organisation that has extensive experience conducting research on agriculture, food security and enterprise development in Nigeria.
The BOL facilitator, Dr Ope Adeosun, stated that, “the RSM2SNF project aligns with our mission to support innovative research that improves lives. PWe are proud to partner with MSU to enable data collectors to make a meaningful impact on food safety and nutrition in Nigeria.”
He said the project is supporting Africa to create safe and nutritious foods and allow policy makers have facts to make informed decision that can help in supporting farmers to produce good crops, adding that beneficiaries had been in the system for a while
“BOL has conducted agricultural surveys and this will not be the first by MSU and other universities that came together for this training and the uniqueness of this survey is that it’s about tomatoes and vegetables. One of the key results is to have quality data; one of the issues we have in Nigeria is that we don’t have quality data to push for certain policies. Beneficiaries are trained to get right information to present to the policymakers for them to do the right things.
A beneficiary, Sunday Olayode said the training had been helpful and educative as it had equipped him to perform better, adding that it is a timely intervention which shows that the organisers are sensitive to the plight of the people and I believe this will help farmers to be better in their activities.
Another beneficiary, Rukayat Ajiponle, a data collector said though it is not her first training, “every project has a new feature and this project has helped me positively. It has affected my work positively; my output will be better and enlighten tomato farmers on how to cultivate in a better way to have good output.
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