Farmers call for involvement in cassava action plan

Pastor Segun Adewunmi

Nigerian farmers have call on the federal government to involved farmers in the cassava and other agricultural transformation agenda action plan for implementation purposes.

The national president of Nigeria Cassava Growers Association, Pastor Segun Adewunmi made the call recently at the ‘This Morning’ talk show on Television Continental.

The NCGAN president also commended the Lagos State government for its concern in the cassava sector with about 40 per cent subsidy on cassava input and 50 per cent off price of tractors used on cassava farms, stressing these are initiatives to encourage cassava producing in the state.

While applauding the federal government for the Cassava Transformation Agenda Action Plan which he said was organized in such a way that every farmer would be a beneficiary, asserting “The policy has to involve the farmers.”

The transformation agenda action plan during the Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime, he said gave room for more use to cassava products for industrial uses as against the usual garri and starch only.

Pastor Adewunmi further said his association is working towards the eradication of unemployment among youths in the nation, which includes the recruitment of about 5 youths from each local government to be trained on agriculture extension services.

Over 5,000 youths, he said, are also to be involved monitor cassava growing in the nation with about one million farmers to grow cassava.

Women taking part in processing Garri

NaijaAgroNet learnt that cassava production cost in Nigeria surpasses any other cost of producing cassava anywhere in the world; hence this necessitated the proposal by the federal government to establish 18 large scale processing cassava plants for flour.

N300bn, Pastor Adewunmi said has been saved from flour importation as a result of the Cassava Transformation Agenda Action Plan which sees to the production of cassava flour. And increase of agricultural loan from about 1.03 per cent to about 3 per cent.

Part of the strategies by the association to improve cassava production, NaijaAgroNet further gathered is to ensure that every local government authority has a minimum of five extension officers who will supply agricultural inputs for their respective local government authority.

Uzo, a caller from Lagos affirmed that funds do not get to the right farmers as they are not part of the action plan, hence they cannot monitor the implementation process of the action plan.

Speaking in the same vein, the publicity secretary of Agbekoya Farmers Association, Chief Olatunji Bamidele affirmed the greatest challenge facing farmers in the nation to be lack of funds. The Agbekoya Farmers Association, he said had requested for loan from the federal government for months back which they are yet to receive any response as regards the loan. 

Chief Bamidele said any agricultural transformation agenda that excludes the farmers in the process have a very little chance of seeing the light of the day.

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African agric ministers call for the use of biotechnology, ICT

Agriculture and Science and Innovation Ministers in Africa have called for the use of modern technologies like biotechnology and ICT in agricultural research, reports NewsTime.

The ministers NaijaAgroNet learnt at the ended of the second dialogue of agriculture, science and innovation ministers in Accra also call for the creation of Innovation Fund for Agricultural Transformation (IFAT) in a bid to boost extension and increase access to information and knowledge.

The Ministers in a communiqué released at the end of the meeting asserted that the creation of the funding mechanism will stimulate both public and private investments across the continent which will sustain transformation of agriculture.

Executive Director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Monty Jones said there is a need for paradigm shift that would transform African Agriculture. "The mindset that we can sustain ourselves through subsistence farming has trapped the continent in a cycle of famine and failed harvests."

Monty also said that African farmers do need improved seeds and other inputs, and timely advice on how use them, saying "Africa’s farmers do not need pity. They need support." 

NaijaAgroNet further gathered that participants at the dialogue said that African farmers need greater access to improved, resilient seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, weather insurance and other means to improve their farm production.

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Youths' involvement in agric, key to sustainable development – Rhoda

Young Farmers

Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission, Ms Rhoda Peace Tumusiime had said that involving youth in agricultural development and decision making processes is key to ensuring sustainable development in Africa.

She said this at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia while officiating a workshop on youth, ICT and entrepreneurship in agriculture co-organised by Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Co-operation (CTA) and NEPAD E-Africa Programme.

In her address, the AU commissioner said that African's population has over 60 per cent youths and 40 per cent of the 70 per cent people in the rural areas are also youths.

The continent, she noted can leverage on the youths available as the current youths are more educated and learned, enterprising and ambitious.

"We can therefore reap the benefits of the demographic dividend and create a virtuous cycle from a healthier, better-educated and more economically productive and focused workforce, if this potential is well harnessed,” she said.

She also said there is urgent need for the expansion of access to secondary and tertiary education, creating and expansion of rural job opportunities and building capacity and promoting entrepreneurship among the youth.

Ms Rhoda Peace Tumusiime

CTA Director, Mr. Michael Hailu affirmed Africa's unemployment standing at 50 per cent, adding that most of the unemployed are young people and females.

He said CTA would not relent in its effort to support activities that encourage youth in ACP countries to consider agriculture as a viable career path, including seizing ICT chances in that framework. "Modern information and communication technologies provide opportunities for creating jobs and entrepreneurship for the youth."

Acting Head, NEPAD e-Africa Programme, Dr. Edmund Katiti insisted that African development and youth employment could be strengthened through the promotion of e-applications and e-services, the promotion of mobile payment systems, agricultural information systems, open software development and adequate capacity building.

The workshop, NaijaAgroNet gathered involved 30 youths and experts from diverse disciplines, countries and international organizations in Africa, and aimed at exchanging ideas about the use of ICT in agrobiz by African Youths.

The workshop also sees to strategies to strengthen their opportunities in agricultural sector. 

Better promotion of successes in agrobusiness was part of the recommendations from participants, other recommendations include improving opportunities for youth in rural areas using ICTs, providing funding arrangements and policies that support youth business in agriculture and youth companies engaged in the development of ICT solutions for agriculture.

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Incorporate natural resource to sustain food security - Experts

Experts have said that incorporation of natural resources in farming practices will provide sustainable solution to food insecurity in Africa, CoastWeek reports.

Natural resources incorporation in farming, NaijaAgroNet gathered that will help in the face of climate change, decline in soil fertility and shrinking size of arable land.

Addressing the Beating Famine conference, the regional Leader of World Vision East Africa, Mr. Charles Owubah reportedly said that restoring ecosystems will boost the resilience of food production systems in Africa.

The conference was organized by the Nairobi-based World Agro Forestry Center (ICRAF) and International Christian Charity, World Vision.

“Fighting hunger should go alongside reversing environmental degradation that has worsened this challenge in the region,” Owubah said. 

He urged countries to embrace ever green agriculture to boost crop and the resilience of small holders to climate change impacts such as droughts and floods.

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Agriculture, a core of the transformational agenda - Sambo

Vice President, Namadi Sambo

Nigeria’s vice President, Namadi Sambo asserted that agriculture would be the core of the transformation agenda of Nigeria, not only for food production but also for wealth creation and employment generation, ThisDay reports.

This he said at the meetings of the US Exim Bank in Washington DC where he also made known that the aim of the nation in pursuing the new agenda is to improve the value chain by Nigeria.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that he assured investors in the agricultural sector of high returns on their investment that the opportunities in the sector still remain untapped. 

Rice, cassava, sorghum, livestock, fisheries, maize, soya beans, palm oil, cocoa and cotton includes areas where Namadi Sambo said opportunities abound in the agro-business. He further urged investors to take advantage of the investor friendly policies and opportunities. Read more

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UK supports agricultural statistics with N3.9bn

The Food and Agriculture Organisatoion (FAO) of the United Nations has signed an agreement with the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom to improve agricultural statistics.

According to the agreement, as revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement made available by the UN agency, the Department for International Development is to support an innovative new global partnership with the sum of $25million, about N3.938 billion.

The innovative new global partnership is to ensure the improvement of agricultural statistics available to governments and farmers around the world.

The UK's contribution is to cover the programme's first phrase between 2012 and 2016. NaijaAgroNet also gathered that the contribution will support mainly African and Asian countries.

Commenting on the agreement, FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva said "Empowering farmers can change their lives. By improving statistics, this programme will contribute to this goal."

"The UK Government's generous support will help deliver enormous benefits to governments around the world and the people they serve," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.

The first phase of the programmes is to improve how governments organize and manage their statistical systems and on technical assistance and staff training in national statistics offices and ministries of agriculture. 

NaijaAgroNet further gathered that the DFID's contribution will also support research to identify innovative approaches for cost-efficient data collection, analysis and dissemination. This includes digital and georeferencing technology and devices, such as smartphones, GPS and satellites.

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East African govts fight drought with new strategies

Governments of the Horn of Africa under the aegis of Inter-Governmental Authority of Development (IGAD) are working towards fighting drought and famine through the application of early warning mechanisms, reports CoastWeek.

Leaders of the seven countries that make up IGAD recently met in Kenya, which resulted in creation of new strategies to enable the region battle drought and famine.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that participants asserted that most of the requests for support made by IGAD from donors are usually meant to address drought emergency cases.

Participants also agreed the new plan should be based on addressing resilience and should be backed by a very strong drought early warning mechanisms that is well linked to institutions that coordinate response.

Mahboub Maalim, IGAD Executive Secretary affirmed the need to undertake and sustain long term programs aimed at vulnerability reduction and resilience building, following the changing cycle of drought where it was now occurring every two years. 

Highlighting the need for infrastructural investments in dry land areas to facilitate creation of wealth, Mahboub Maalim said “The region requires long term investments that will form the bedrock of this resilience. Short term projects should well link to the overall long term objectives." Readmore

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