Showing posts with label Agriculture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Agriculture. Show all posts

Ministry Trains 80 Farmers On Climate Resilience Practices


By Blessing Otobong-Gabriel

Following  the volume of rainfall intensity  forecasted by NIMET, the Agricultural Development Project of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has on Friday trained 80 farmers across the six area councils in FCT on climate resilience practices to abreast them with the right cropping calendar and to inform them of the variety of seeds to plant and when to plant.

The Head Extension,  ADP, FCT Ekele Simon Ude said during the training that the training was necessitated to encourage farmers who are ready to be encouraged to know the right variety to select and the planting method to apply so as to mitigate the impact of the flood or climate change. 

Ude said the training is a very laudable one, " we're training them on rice value chain, knowing that rice is an international crop of value, which is eaten all over the world,  so its a crop that has high premium for us here, but the production of it has been very low and we are working very hard to ensure that the production of it meet up with demands.


He hinted, " these farmers are purportedly selected able men who are ready to be encouraged to go into rice farming because climate change is real , the weather we have 10, 30 years ago is not the same as today considering the volume of rainfall intensity and this year NIMET has forecasted that we're going to have flooding,  so this training has come such that we will be able to disseminate this information to farmers".

"Our farmers particularly the youths are very active and full of energy, so  FCT have comparative advantage when it comes to rice production,  that's why the Federal Ministry of Agric and Rural Development through the extension department have deem it fit to come and properly inform the youth on how to carry out rice production having understand the dynamics of rainfall and sunshine because rainfall has become very unpredictable,  so there's need for education,  our farmers need to be well informed, he added.


Speaking, Obiageli Nwabuisi from the Federal department of Agric Extension, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development FCT said there's need for our farmers to get it right so that they will be able to replicate the knowledge to others for them to have the right cropping calendar and know when to plant  to increase farm productivity, improve family livelihood and boost the economy of the country.

According to her, the training is in three value chains; there's yam processing, yam production and rice production, adding that trainees will be empowered with fertiliser, pesticides,  some agrochemicals will also be given to them and some stipends, while encouraging participants to see this as a privileged and ensure that the knowledge gained is replicated to others.

Maiyaki madaki of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development who represented the FCT state coordinator Mr Abdulrahman Gurin said It's expected that after the training there's going to be a kind of empowerment from the Federal Government to enable farmers practicalize this in their respective farms.

"Usually when we train farmers, we monitor their adoptions of these trainings, so we have our extension workers across all the zones who will make sure that farmers follow the right methods and also train other farmers around them.



Minister pledges to support, propagate Hand-in-Hand Initiative in Nigeria


Blessing Bature, Abuja

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq has pledged to support and propagate the Hand-in-Hand Initiative in Nigeria.

The Minister made the remark at the Inauguration of the National Steering Committee for Food and Agriculture Organization FOA Hand In Hand initiative held in Abuja on Monday.

Farouq thanked the administration of His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari for fostering Agricultural transformation and rural development, while contributing to the extensive elimination of extreme poverty, hunger and malnutrition.

“The Humanitarian and livelihood resilience track will support programme investment plans and interventions in territories at risk of facing shocks and crisis in the North-East, North-West and North-Central States in order to create, sustain and improve resilient livelihoods to withstand shocks and crisis in focus areas within Nigeria.

“As we are aware, the Government of Nigeria is participating in the Hand-in-Hand initiative, a country owned and country led initiative, aimed at supporting agricultural transformation and rural development while building the resilience of vulnerable populations.

In a statement by the SA media, Nneka Ikem Anibeze said Inaugurating the committee, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Muhammad Mahmood Abubakar stated that the HiH programme is meant to practically facilitate and support the implementation of the framework of the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP 2022-2027) towards accelerating food systems transformation, promoting rapid rural development and building vulnerable population resilience across the country.
 
“The Hand in Hand Initiative takes cognizance of the country’s economic advantaged and disadvantaged areas in selecting the priority commodities for intervention in selected States.

“The programme is meant to practically facilitate and support the implementation of the framework of the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (NATIP 2022-2027) towards accelerating food systems transformation, promoting rapid rural development, and building vulnerable population resilience across the country. 

Terms of Reference for the NSC members stipulate that the National Steering Committee (NSC) shall be the highest organ in the Governance Structure of HiH Initiative in Nigeria and will provide overall political leadership, strategic direction, and guidance for the implementation of HiH Initiative in Nigeria in line with national priorities. 

The NSC will be responsible for providing oversight for the implementation of the HiH Initiative in Nigeria and will receive periodic Progress Reports on the implementation of the  Initiative from the Technical Task Team and FAO HiH Country Team who are responsible for the Implementation of the Program. In addition, the NSC will meet twice a year to receive briefings and reports on the implementation of the Hand-in-Hand Initiative in Nigeria while the Chairman may call for meetings to discuss any matter  that may require the attention or guidance of the NSC.

The NSC will also be responsible for resolving conflicts or contending matters amongst participating MDAs which are not resolved by the Technical Task Team while implementing the HiH Initiative in Nigeria.

The Chairman charged the members to recommit themselves to the task ahead by providing the needed leadership for the successful implementation of the programme in Nigeria.

 The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development  Dr Muhammad Mahmood Abubakar will serve as the Chairman of the Committee while members include the Hon. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development Sadiya Umar Farouq, the Ministers of Environment, Water Resources, Industry, Trade, and Investment, Finance, Budget, and National Planning, the Executive Governor of Borno State Prof Babagana Zulum, 

the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , the Statistician General of the Federation, FAO Representative to Nigeria and the ECOWAS, Senior National Consultant to FAO on HiH in Nigeria, President of Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association in Nigeria  (FACAN) representing Organized Private Sector, Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Chair Agric Donor Working Group (representing Development Partners) and the TTT Focal Lead of FMARD will serve as the Secretary.