ABSTRACT:

The study assessed the impact of NIRSAL on smallholder rice farmers’ performance in NorthCentral Nigeria productivity. The specific objectives were to estimate the rice farmers productivity and analyze the effects of the NIRSAL scheme on the productivity. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed for selection of the 486 respondents. Primary data were collected with the use of wellstructured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive, total factor productivity index, and propensity score matching. The result revealed that NIRSAL had an impact on the productivity of rice farmers, with an 18% change in total factor productivity between NIRSAL beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries. The study hereby concludes that NIRSAL has an impact on the performance of smallholder rice farmers in north central Nigeria. Therefore, it is highly recommended that NIRSAL stakeholders continually reach out to more smallholder farmers in the country, especially in rural areas, to attain sustainability and productivity in rice farming.