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Friday, May 25, 2012

Leaders for Rio+20 urge to strengthen local control of natural resources


IIED, Director General, Camilla Toulmin
Government leaders attending the United Nations conference on Sustainable Development (RIO+20) have been urged to strengthen local control over natural resources.
The International Institute for Environment and Development  (IIED) made this call ahead of the Rio+20 scheduled for 20-22, June in Brazil where world leaders would meet to conclude on ways to tackle the environment and development challenges facing humanity.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that over 2,000 participants are expected at the forum tagged 'Innovation and Collaboration for the Future we want'
Director of IIED, Camilla Toulmin, was quoted as saying the application of realistic values to the environment and human wellbeing is in a bid to steer societies onto a more secure path.
She noted that expected attendance at the forum ranges from investors, governments, local authorities, civil society as well as United Nations entities.
The Forum’s main objective, she pointed out, is to bring greater scale and quality to corporate sustainability practices as a showcase for innovation and collaboration.
In a publication also made available to NaijaAgroNet, Toulmin revealed that local control of natural assets is the best way in ensuring strong investment in and sustainable use of forests, water, soils and other resources.
"Rio+20 should not be the place for wise leaders to design a global plan that cascades downwards through regional, national and local implementation. Rather, the summit must begin with the wellbeing of ordinary people and judge the effectiveness of actions taken by governments and corporations by the extent to which they provide tangible answers to the needs of the many, not the few," the publication reads in parts.
Pointing out that the world leaders need to discuss relevant issues at the event, Toulmin said that the environmental, social and financial crises that face us are interconnected, and so are their solutions.
Localizing development, investing in resilience and using metrics that provide a realistic valuation of scarce resources are the three clear policy identified by IIED to be realistic, achievable and effective ways to reshape our future and create a fair, greener and more secure world. 
IIED boss said the policy shift came after about four decades of research on the links between the environment and development.
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Agric, key to nation's survival- Tukur


Dr. Bamanga Tukur
Dr. Bamanga Tukur, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party has asserted agriculture to hold the key to the survival of Nigeria.
This he said at a grand reception held in his honour by the party in his home town, Jada, Adamawa State recently.
NaijaAgroNet learnt that Dr. Tukur said agriculture has the potentials for creating millions of jobs, eradicating poverty and arresting youth's restiveness.
"It is by massively investing in agriculture that we can truly eradicate poverty, create millions of jobs and reduce insecurity," he said that Nigeria is blessed with vast land and water.
He called on state governments in the nation to develop a minimum of 50, 000 hectare of arable land for round-the-year farming. "If we do that, youth's restiveness shall be a thing of the past." 
Source: DailyTimes
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Monday, May 14, 2012

No other sector creates jobs faster than agric - Adeshina


Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, Agric & Rural Development Minister
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development has described agriculture sector as the fastest in terms of employment generation.
The Minister, NaijaAgroNet learnt, said this in his remarks in Ekiti State at the Youth in Commercial Agribusiness Development Programme recently.
He also applauded the state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi for involving the state's youth in agriculture.
"To unlock the potential of agriculture to create jobs, we must engage the energy, dynamism and entrepreneurship of the youth," Adesina said.
"We are no longer treating agriculture as a development programme," the Minister asserted, adding that the goal of the government is to treat agric as a business and to make the nation an agriculturally industrialised economy.
He also made known the goal of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda to add an additional 20 million tonnes of food to the domestic food supply with the creation of 3.5 millions jobs in all the agriculture value chains.
He remarked that subsistence farming is not viable to feed a nation, pointing out that there is the need to expand the level of use of tractors in the country, which could be done by small, medium and large scale farmers.
In a bid to raise the level of use of improved seeds, Adesina said that the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development financed the entire seed supply for the country which amounts to N2.7 billion for the 2012 season.
The finance, he said is not from the government but the use of guarantees for banks to lend to seed companies. 
He also affirmed that the Federal Government was able to secure financing for the supply of fertilizers for 2012, at the level of N27 billion from commercial banks using guarantees from the Ministry of Finance.
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FG targets 3.5m jobs in agric sector



Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said the Federal Government has plans to create about 3.5million jobs in the agricultural sectors by 2015.
He revealed at a convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, that an initiative would be put in place to enable existing Universities of Agriculture in the country to establish Departments of Transfer and Acquisition.
NaijaAgroNet learnt that the president was represented by the Minister of Education, Mrs. Rukkayatu Rufai, who said the initiative would facilitate the development of appropriate technologies for eventual transfer to the farming communities of the nation.
“The federal government is putting an initiative in place to enable the three existing Universities of Agriculture in the country establish Departments of Technology Transfer and Acquisition as part of the curricula in their respective institutions,” she said, stressing that her ministry expects the university management and faculties to embark on innovative and creative means of complementing government are funding efforts. 
Source: ThisDay.
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