USAID to leverage ICT to enhance agriculture in C’ River

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has selected Cross River to benefit from its pilot scheme of using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance agriculture.

Speaking at a meeting with a team from USAID Feed the Future Nigeria lats last week in Calabar, Mr Okon Owuna, Cross River’s Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said ICT would improve farm extension services in the state.

Owuna thanked USAID for selecting Cross River’s Agricultural Development Programme (CRSADP) as one of the  ADPs to pilot the Information and Communication Technology integration scheme.

He maintained that the initiative would enable farmers get more information, make more informed market pricing decisions, expose them to new technologies and ultimately make them more successful in farming.

He, however, appealed to the team to align its programme with the agricultural policy of the state.

“It is important that you don’t depend only on training and researches alone, rather establish a pilot programme that would impact on the farmers in the state.

”I also appeal that the scheme be aligned to the agricultural policy of the present administration,” he said.

In his remarks, Mr David Edimu, ICT Coordinator, USAID, Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services, said that the visit became necessary to inform the ministry of the selection of the state for the scheme.

Edimu, who stated that they also came to show their work-plan for the year, added that the programme would commence in September 2022.

“Feed the Future Nigeria will provide the equipment needed to produce videos on the agricultural activity, which will  educate farmers in order to improve on their productivity and livelihoods,” he said.