Lagos govt to promote urban farming to boost food production

AS part of its resolve to ensure food security in the state, the Lagos State Government has hinted that it would promote urban farming which would in turn result into massive food production.

Acting Commissioner for Agriculture in the state, Abisola Olusanya, shortly after the Lagos State Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement, and Livelihood Support (APPEALS) project ended its six-day joint monitoring exercise to implementation sites.

Olusanya, during the wrap-up meeting in Lekki, commended the efforts of the project implementation unit.

She said she was impressed with the impact of implementation support by APPEALS project thus far, stressing that she had a fantastic experience during the field monitoring visit to the implementation sites.

The Acting Commissioner also noted that the satisfaction and happiness expressed by the beneficiaries to the support of the Lagos APPEALS was particularly gratifying and laudable.

She also appreciated governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for the prompt release of counterpart payment to match up the World Bank assisted project fund, as well as the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, who incidentally is the Chairman of APPEALS project State Steering Committee for his support in ensuring sustainability of the project in the state.

State Coordinator of APPEALS Project, Oluranti Sagoe-Oviebo, while presenting the project brief, disclosed that about 20 demonstrations on improved technologies across the selected value chains of aquaculture, poultry and rice have so far been carried out.

She said eight out of the demonstrations were carried out in 2019 and are now being used by farmers, while the project had also gone ahead to support farmers who sought for support to adopt the new improved technologies.

Sagoe-Oviebo, further stated that part of the sites visited were those of beneficiaries from the Implemented 30 Value Chains Investment Plans (VCIPs), supporting 295 people consisting of 206 males and 89 females as direct beneficiary farmers and SMEs with Improved Inputs.

She also said another 38 VCIPs recently issued No Objections by the World Bank to support about 400 farmers as direct beneficiaries are under implementation, adding that the exercise has been completed.

According to her: “The implemented supports include floating cages, All Male Tilapia / Heteroclarias juveniles, Tilapia feed / Probiotic fish feed, barrier boom, collapsible fish ponds, industrial boreholes, Mechanical pumping machines for aquaculture farmers’ cooperatives groups.

She stated that the project also addressed a critical challenge of fish ponds flooding at Ikorodu through the excavation and desilting of canal around the farms.

“Day Old Chicks Broilers, pelletised feeds, Nipple drinkers with cup, medications, Point of Lay birds, Growers feed, layers mash probiotics, water tanks and scaffolds for Poultry farmers’ cooperatives and Rice seeds, rice transplanters, thresher and winnower, harvester, motorized sprayers, ploughing and harrowing, fertilizer applicators, screw three nets, herbicides, fertiliser, insecticides among others for rice farmers’ cooperative groups were also implemented,” she said.

Speaking further, Sagoe-Oviebo said the project has trained over 5000 beneficiaries this year and 1307 out of the 1621 regular beneficiaries under the Women and Youth Empowerment Programme since inception of the project, while a consulting firm has been engaged to conduct the agribusiness needs assessments of 170 Persons with disability and special needs selected in the State for empowerment.

The team members, while sharing their field experiences, expressed satisfaction with the level of implementation by the project and encouraged them to ensure sustainability of supports by the beneficiaries.