As part of renewed effort to boost food production, the federal government and the Green Innovation Centre (GIZ) have reiterated commitment to to ensure food sufficiency in the country.
This was made known during the Federal Department of Agricultural Extension (FDAE) field visit to GIZ Rice Demonstration plot at Keffi, Nasarawa State.
GIZ while noting that it would continue to encourage smallholder farmers in building their capacity, said the assistance is aimed at increasing employment and income generation, as well as access to finances for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises,
The FDAE Director of Extension, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs Karima Babangida, while lauding the efforts of GIZ, said the federal government will work more closely with the organization to ensure food sufficiency in the country by supporting the nation’s rural farmers.
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Also, the Deputy Director, Field Extension Service, Federal Department of Agricultural Extension, Dr Ngozi Odunze while speaking during an interview in Abuja lamented the reduction of extension agents in the states across the nation.
Dr Odunze who noted that the ratio of extension agents to farmers is reducing in states, said the federal government would encourage them to employ more extension agents, so as to aid farmers in times of challenges.
Speaking further, she said “the use of ICT presently is being tried on farmers but it cannot replace face to face services by extension with extension agents, but at least it will help, we also have a help line centres that have been built in different zones, we went for the sensitization last month for them to realise that such helplines are in different places for them to use so that right from their farms make a call and somebody in that centre will receive, they will ask their questions and the person will get answers and relay it back to them.
She said, “What we can do based on what we have seen from the field during our visit to the demo plot is to encourage more women and youths in other communities to organize themselves and go into serious farming.
However, a farmer, Mrs Helen pius, who also reiterated the need for modern technologies and more extension agents, called on the state government to provide an enabling environment for farmers to meet up with the federal government’s goal in achieving self sufficiency.
Mrs Pius who owns one of the Demonstration plots in Keffi, said with the provision of modern technologies and extension agents, it would encourage farmers to go into large production in a bid to achieve self sufficiency.
