The Abia Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise, Niger Delta (LIFE-ND), has resuscitated the Monthly Technology Review Meeting (MTRM) for the state’s Agricultural Development Programme (ADP). The MTRM which was held at the National Root Crops Research Institute Umudike recently, had stakeholders from NRCRI and ADP share knowledge and ideas on the current agronomy practices. During the meeting, the researchers and resource persons from the NRCRI exposed the participants to some of their findings and researches in agronomy.In a speech, Mr Anthony Nwaobilor, the Rural Institution, Youth and Gender Officer for LIFE-ND, said that the project decided to facilitate the meeting as part of its strengthening activities. He said that LIFE-ND observed that ADP had a lot of roles to play for farmers because of the work of its extension agents in various communities. Nwaobilor, who reiterated the importance of the MTRM, said that LIFE-ND decided to revive it so that ADP could be armed with the current practices, which they would in turn teach farmers. He said: “We are here to support ADP to perform at their best. “We are not taking over ADP responsibilities, but we will continue to support as much as we can, while we expect that they go ahead and do it by themselves whenever we are not ready. “After this review, we expect that ADP will take the message back to the communities where the extension agents will train the farmers on current farm practices.” In his remarks, Abia ADP Programme Manager, Mr Chukwudi Onuoha, expressed gratitude to LIFE-ND for reviving the meeting and appealed for more support for the monthly review.Onuoha, who emphasised the need for the monthly review, said that there were a lot of findings in farm practice by the research institute that were kept in the shelve which could be disclosed through the MTRM. “In ADP we work with farmers and our main aim is to improve the livelihood of farmers. “We do this by interacting with research stations, getting proven technologists who will help to boost farmers’ production,” he said.In a brief remark, the Executive Director, NRCRI, Prof. Chiefozie Egesi, said that he was excited that the meeting was held at the beginning of the year, having expected it for so long. Egesi, represented by Dr Tessy Madu, Director, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the institute, said that the meeting provided an avenue for researchers and ADP officers to interact. According to him, researchers bring in some of the innovations to ADP, while the ADP on their own brings faults and challenges that farmers are facing. “We hope that this will be sustained, so that we have constant review in the institute because it helps for proper agricultural development,” he said. LIFE-ND is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, in collaboration with the Federal Government, to boost food security in the Niger Delta.
ABIA LIFE-ND BRINGS BACK REVIEW MEETINGS ON AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
