1,100 youths for IT, mechanized farming training

 NaijaAgroNet

The AkwaIbom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, said arrangement is in top gear aimed at giving training to about 1100 youths of Akwa Ibom origin in information technology skills and mechanized farming, reports NaijaAgroNet.

He made this revelation in Uyo, when he said; "I am in discussion with Oracle to train at least 1,000 youths in AkwaIbom State on Oracle Database Software Management System."

The Governor who identified that most people employed by banks and companies were those with Oracle certification, NaijaAgroNet gathered, reasoned that Akwa Ibom youths must be equipped with skills that would make them self-reliant.

"I want to make sure that our youths acquire skills so that they can mostly be on their own. We want to facilitate this to help some of our youths to also acquire skills. One thousand is a good number and we can see how we can train them in Uyo to reduce the cost instead of moving them to Lagos,"  he stated.

The governor, the information further hinted said that the state government would send 100 Akwa Ibom youths to Israel by the end of July for training in mechanized farming, describing Israel as an outstanding country with a track record in agriculture: "By end of July, we will send about 100 youths to Israel to acquire some skills and also at the same time do pilgrimage as well.

"Those people that will come back are those that will actually back up our mechanized farming in agriculture. We know, when it comes to agriculture today, Israel is one of the greatest,” NaijaAgroNet reports.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ GEE

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Agribusiness solutions make ‘farming cool’ for Kenyans

NaijaAgroNet

A British multinational, Balton CP, is offering advanced agricultural solutions, which seek to change the youth mindset towards agribusiness, while empowering them with the technology: knoMaking farming 'cool' for Kenyan youthledge, skills, support and financing, to engage in modern agribusiness, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The agribusiness inclined company has been around as a major driving force in the agricultural sectors of many countries throughout Africa for over 25 years. They can be credited with being the first to introduce drip irrigation technology in several African countries in the late 1970s, greatly boosting the sector.

The group's 'Farming is Cool' campaign was launched in Kenya in 2011 by its subsidiary Amiran Kenya and following several years of activity, became its pan-African 'Farming is Cool Africa' Initiative. Over the last few years, NaijaAgroNet gathered, the campaign has allowed Amiran Kenya and its partners including the government, donors, NGO communities and private sector to place the Amiran Farmers Kit in over 1,000 primary and secondary schools throughout Kenya and in more than 300 youth polytechnics in the country.

NaijaAgroNet also learnt that AFK is an award winning, modern agribusiness unit anchored on a holistic approach that offers the farmer the tools, training and support required to engage in successful, sustainable agribusiness.

This unit has allowed over three million Kenyan children and youth to be exposed and willingly take up modern agribusiness using the most advanced, cutting edge technologies and methods available in the market tody.

In Kenya  and indeed  most  African communities, NaijaAgroNet  learnt, youth view agriculture as an unbefitting occupation often practised by older people in retirement or by those in 'shags' (rural areas) who have to farm to survive. More so, many schools often use agriculture as a form of punishment for deviant behavior.

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UN agencies team-up on Swiss funded $2.7m project in 3 African countries

NaijaAgroNet:

Three United Nations (UN) agencies have teamed up on the $2.7 million project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) targeting food losses in developing countries, with capabilities to boost harvesting, processing, transportation and storage as a result of inadequate infrastructure or lack of skills and technology, reports NaijaAgroNet.

These UN agencies, NaijaAgroNet gathered include Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in three countries, namely Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

NaijaAgroNet notes that about one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted each year, which amounts to 1.3 billion tonnes or enough food to feed 2 billion people. 

The three-year project, NaijaAgroNet learnt will focus on reducing losses of grains and pulses such as maize, rice, beans and cow peas, staple foods that play a significant role in global food security and have a major impact on the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers. 

According to a 2011 report by the World Bank, FAO and the United Kingdom's Natural Resources Institute, grain losses in sub-Saharan Africa alone are worth potentially $4 billion a year and could meet the minimum annual food requirements of at least 48 million people. 

At a global level, the joint initiative will share knowledge on the most effective ways to reduce post-harvest losses and help countries introduce policies and regulations to cut down on wastage at national and regional level. 

The project will also identify critical points for losses in pulse and grain supply chains in three African pilot countries - Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda - and identify and test potential solutions to issues such as ineffective harvesting and handling, storage moisture levels, attacks by rats, birds and other pests, and insect damage. 

Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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