Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri December 19, 2019
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), is to distribute irrigation water pumps and fertilizers to 4,000 Borno farmers restore their livelihoods in the agriculture and livestock sectors. According to 2018 post-harvest survey; the dry season support of FAO generated; N186, 100 from farmers’ sale of crops, including rice, tomato and onions. FAO’s representative in Nigeria, Suffyan Koroma disclosed this Thursday, while distributing farm inputs for the 2019/20 dry season farming at Farm Centre, Maiduguri in Borno state. He said harvests from dry season cultivation provide income for farmers to meet food and other household needs during lean season. His words: “Under FAO’s support this season, beneficiaries will receive mix of vegetable seeds including okra, amaranth, onion, tomato, cabbage and carrot, and rice seeds. “The collaboration between Federal Government and Nigerian military on the transportation of fertilizer will facilitate distribution of 25kg bags of NPK fertilizer to each farmer.” According to him, irrigation water pumps are also to be distributed to 4,000 farmers in Jere, Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Konduga, Bama and Monguno council areas.
He said the pumps will enhance crop production, during the 2019/20 dry season farming. He said that in the last three years; over three million people were reached in Northeast with agricultural support restore their livelihoods. He said the support and interventions; are hinged on protecting livelihoods of farmers to enhance their productive capacities. These, according to him; encourage self-production of food to promote self-sufficiency on basic needs of life. “Through livestock restocking campaign, beneficiaries are gradually rebuilding their asset base,” said Cisse, adding that beneficiaries sell their bulls and reinvest their incomes in livelihood opportunities. Speaking on agric investments, he said: “When their goats reproduce, women sell to earn income; poultry beneficiaries also boost their household nutrition and earn income from the sale of eggs.”
He said a recent survey also revealed that about 89% of beneficiaries’ livestock; now have acceptable food consumption score. He noted that generating rural employment for region’s teeming population will be crucial to sustaining peace in insurgency affected states. “We’re implementing initiatives aimed at boosting employment among youths and women in IDP camps and host communities,” he assured. He said FAO is only agency implementing aquaculture support programme targeting affected fish-actors in region. He said the first batch of 50 beneficiaries of aquaculture inputs last April; begun harvesting of crops with generation of income from sale of fish. He added that; 100 beneficiaries in four councils of Borno were also trained in aquaculture with distribution of fishing kits. “We are finalizing plans to train 100 women on improved fish processing,” he disclosed, stating that it will provided them with environment-friendly fish processing units. He said besides being a source of alternative livelihoods of fisher folks, it could enhance nutrition and protect them being exposed to risks in unsafe fishing areas. According to him, the centers have employed about 100 households, who run them independently. “Stove production centers, like aquaculture, also mitigate the protection risks, vulnerable persons may be exposed to while foraging for wood,” said Cisse.
He noted that evidenced-based data is essential for designing people-oriented programmes that put beneficiaries at the centre of interventions. He said FAO leads in the coordination of food security sector, alongside World Food Programme (WFP), Government and other partners. He said field-based data provided by the sector; serve as guide for timely response and programme planning for development partners. “We partner with WFP in providing cash-based transfers to our beneficiaries affected in decade long insurgency in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states,” adding that it protects the distributed farm inputs from being sold or consumed. He said it also discourages negative coping mechanism in the liberated communities of Northeast. Cisse however; that there is still much work to be done fully restore livelihoods of 350,000 farming households. He said with implementation of 10-point agenda, agricultural production and job creation could be improved in the state.
