NAERLS, Farmers hail FAO 40 years existence

As Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) celebrates forty years anniversary in Nigeria, the Executive Director, National Agricultural Extension Research Liaison Office (NAERLS), Prof. Mohammed Uthman together with farmers’ representatives have commended the international agency for its impact on agriculture through capacity building of stakeholders towards ensuring food security in the country.

Prof. Uthman told Foodfarmnews that FAO has  given capacity to farmers on how to increase food production saying  ‘‘FAO gives a lot of training on how to  manage water and how to source for seeds and also how to source for good market to produce and farmers have tremendously benefited’’

NAERLS boss said many farmers both from the north and south benefitted in the irrigation programme of FAO pointing that ‘’ I remember in 2000 when we did strengthening of farmers irrigation scheme in Nigeria which i actively participated in about five states of the South and North where thousands of farmers benefitted especially the small scale farmers including the women who are into irrigation farming and marketing’’ 

Prof. Uthman continued that his agency has received computer tablets from FAO which was distributed to the Agricultural Extension Development Agencies (ADPs) in the states for capturing of agricultural information, adding that training capacity were also given to NEARLS staff on market prices collation.

He commended FAO saying ‘’ I think the forty (40) years is worth celebrating as Nigerians have tremendously enjoyed the presence of FAO when it comes to the issue of agriculture and  capacity building of experts in the country, we have benefited a lot in terms of building  knowledge and sharing technology’’

On the growing population, Prof. Uthman wanted FAO to do more through direct training of locals saying ‘’ Nigeria is with a lot of challenges in terms of population, you will find out that for us to achieve food security all hands need to be on deck. So i think that FAO can go into the capacity of the local experts like they have been doing in a more intensified way because to feed the present population of 200million in the country is a very big task, and we need bodies like FAO, IFPRI and several other international organizations who are into agriculture to give us support especially in the area of capacity building and technology transfer’’

Speaking also on FAO impact, a farmer and the Vice chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, Chief Daniel Okafor hailed the organization for a job well done in the area of farmers’ capacity building which had helped in the up scaling of food production through best agricultural practice in the last forty years.

Okafor said that the food international organisation has done tremendously well in the best agronomics capacity building to farmers across the country but added that more still needed to be done through  direct relationship with farmers saying there is no need for involvement of any third party than to work directly with grass-root farmers.   

An agricultural expert and coordinator, Zero Hunger Dr. Tunde Arosanye also told foodfarmnews that the FAO has done well in supporting agricultural development in the country by giving best farming practice capacity to farmers towards sufficient food production, added that more needs to be done to ensure food availability, accessibility and affordable Nigerians and entire countries where FAO is overseeing in Africa.

Dr. Arosanye further advised the African leaders to tap into the technology transfer of the FAO for sustainability and increase in the production of food across the continent.

From 1976 to 2012 FAO has supported and implemented 111 projects in Nigeria with a total value of approximately US$70 million. In addition to its resources, the organization mobilized financial support for implementation of country programmes from bilateral donors as well as Nigeria beneficiary member programmes themselves. Programmes implemented by FAO in Nigeria covered technical development, policy work and emergency response and rehabilitation in technical areas of agriculture and natural resources.