Will travel in support of tomatoes
- Jan 1, 2026
- 2 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Dr Ololade Abdulrahman's research is progressing well. The communities to be used were identified, and the project was initiated, highlighting the benefits for the participants. The identification and selection of competent field enumerators for each state were done. Training for field enumerators was organised and conducted to bring them up to speed on the instrument's content and to understand how to fill it out.
Trial data collection was conducted, and corrections identified during the trial were incorporated into the instrument. Baseline qualitative data collection was initiated and is ongoing. Focus group discussions for the quantitative data collection exercise were set up. Preparation for the development of the training manual is underway.
Challenges included a slow data collection process due to insecurity in the communities and farmers' poor response to enumerators' questions, as they expected incentives. The research proposal was revised, prompting some changes to the objectives. The new objectives are:
To assess the level of vulnerability of different tomato value chain actors to climate change impacts.
To examine the adaptive capacity of tomato value chain actors based on access to resources, technology, institutions, and knowledge.
To examine the constraints and barriers hindering effective adaptation along the tomato value chain.
To evaluate the impact of training on actors in the tomato value chain.
Due to the expansion of the proposal, six existing actors have been identified and will all be used in the research. They are: Agro-input suppliers, farmers (producers), processors, marketers, transporters, and consumers, as opposed to only farmers and marketers captured in the initial proposal. Research instruments were developed for all six identified actors, validated, and baseline data collection is ongoing.
Dr Abdulrahman's Study Areas are very far from where she lives, and travel time to the communities is extensive – up to 13 hours. Her mother tongue differs from those in her study area, so she faced a language barrier and had to ensure she had access to translators in the field.
Dr Ololade Abdulrahman reporting on her progress for the research project: Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptive Capacity of Tomato Value Chain Actors: Empirical Evidence from Nigeria.
Edited by Heidi Sonnekus & Leti Kleyn for the FAR-LeaF programme.
