Farmers in Abia State have been advised to take advantage of the available land in the state for cultivation of crops in order to mitigate hunger. The advice was given by the state commissioner for Agriculture, Professor Monica Ironkwe who was speaking to the farmers during a three day training exercise in Umudike. The training which was for women and youth farmers was on Environment Friendly Agro-Ecological Practices for Sustainable Crop Production.
It was facilitated by the Farming Systems Research Programme (FSRP) of the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike in collaboration with the National Programme for Food Security (NPFS), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFS), Abuja. She told the participants that the Economic hardship in Nigeria calls for more efforts for people to embrace farming, adding that the state government is trying its best to ensure genuine farmers get fertiliser as part of efforts to encourage them. Ironkwe added that this is the best time to farm.
In his message to the event, the Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari who was represented by the National Coordinator of Agroecology, Yerima Sa’idu, said the primary objective of the Agroecology Programme is to support farming families to boost their staple food production capacity on an environmentally sustainable basis. He said this is pursued through partnerships and collaborations with relevant stakeholder institutions and actors, including Non-Governmental organizations and Farmers’ organisations.
His words, “Towards supporting farming households in boosting their food security as well as ensuring national food sufficiency, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMA&FS) through National Programme for Food Security (NPFS) is collaborating with Institute for Root crop Research to build the capacity of farmers (with greater focus on women and youth) in the South-East Agroecological Zone of Nigeria on the environmentally sustainable Agroecological practices that could support farmers in the zone to enhance staple food production.
According to the minister, it is expected that the knowledge gained by participants of this training will have a trickle-down effect on production practices across the zone. This he maintained should be evident in the output of food crops in the coming years, and the conservation of ecology including soil, vegetation, air and water bodies.
He added that “It is important to emphasise that at the crux of the Agroecology Programme and Practices is the conservation of our natural environment. Thus, trainees of this programme should apply the skills and practices in their everyday agricultural lives to mitigate the negative implication of climate change”.
Kyari, therefore, encouraged them all to pay close attention to the lines of thought being presented during the training, so that they will have robust take home at the end. He said the Programme is aimed at contributing to increasing productivity and agro-sylvo-postural and fisheries production through diversified and sustainable production systems, while it is also expected to reduce post-harvest production losses.
The Agroecology Programme is managed by ECOWAS and coordinated by the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food (ARAA) Togo — Lome.
The Executive Director, National Root Crops Research Institute Umudike, Professor Chiedozie Egesi had in an address emphasized that root and tuber crops had become pivotal in food security. Egesi who was represented by the director Research Outreach, Dr. E Okwuruchi Mbanaso, therefore, charged the participants to take the training very seriously to enhance their livelihood. In order for the experience to have a lasting effect, the executive director implored the farmers to make good connections during their stay at the institute so that they can refer to such contacts for future support.
The Southeast Coordinator of Agroecology programme NRCRI, Dr Innocent Onyekwere said the objectives of the training was to bring together relevant stakeholders in crop production, to learn how to produce organic fertilizer using Eco-Friendly Agriculture Techniques for sustainable crop production. This, he said, would go a long way to ensure environmental stability. He explained that ecological friendly technology helps to protect the environment and prevent climate change. Dr Onyekwere added that recycling waste into organic manure also help to keep the environment safe.
According to him, it has been observed that the organic manure or fertilizer improved environmental condition, improved soil structure and porosity, increased the moisture infiltration and permeability, reduces erosion and runoff, reduces organic matter, encourages vigorous growth etc.