The Country representative of Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of UN, Mr. Fred Kafeero; has said that various agricultural inputs have been distributed to 14,250 household farmers in Borno.
According to him, FAO targeted 24, 830 smallholder farmers for this year’s dry season farming in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states.
Kafeero disclosed this Thursday, while flagging off the 2020/21 dry season farming at the Farm Centre, Maiduguri, the state capital.
“In the last four years, we reached about 218,741 household farmers in Borno state with inputs comprising seeds of cereals,” he said.
He added that high yielding seeds for pulse and vegetables; were also distributed during last farming rainy season in the state.
“We also reached about 63,410 household famers in Borno; with agricultural inputs, including assorted vegetables and rice seeds between 2018 and 2020,” he said.
While speaking on agricultural extension services, he said: “Through the farmer field schools (FFSs) mechanism, we trained 50 facilitators across the insurgency affected three states.”
He said the facilitators, are to support, invigorate and complement the extension delivery services rendered by state governments.
“A total of 194 FFSs have been established reaching about 5 694 farmers with the knowledge of good agronomic practices,” he said.
According to him, the agronomic practices, include nutrition-sensitive agriculture and climate smart agriculture.
While reviewing livestock production support, he said: “Between 2016 and 2019, about 20,000 households in the three states received over 60,000 animals including bulls, goats and poultry,” noting that the support, was under FAO’s livestock restocing campaign.
He continued; he said: “In the current programming cycle, FAO plans to reach 11 900 households in BAY states with 111,400 animals (bulls, goats, improved pullets and Noiler chicks).
“We distribute goats primarily to women, with each woman getting three female and one male goats,” adding that this will allow the beneficiary to grow her herd independently.
He said the herd serves as a productive asset base, by putting up a goat for sale to address urgent needs, including school fees, or investment in alternative livelihoods.
