Covid-19: ICRISAT to assist Africa against poverty, promises warehousing, seeds

The Regional/Planning Director in charge of West and Central Africa at the  International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arids Tropics (ICRIST), Dr Ramadjita Tabo has said that the organization is determined to secure farming communities in the continent against impacts of Covid-19 and post effects on food security. Dr. Ramadjita Tabo said this in an article authored by its head, regional information, Agathe Diama, and made available to us.

Dr. Tabo pointed that ICRISAT in view of Covid-19 impacts and post effects is ready to reduce poverty, hunger, mal-nutrition and environmental degradation in the dry land tropics with the provision of ware housings and breeders’ seeds for certified seeds,  saying that investment in agricultural programme would assist rural and urban communities in West and Central Africa to become self reliant to mitigate the impacts of  corona virus pandemic disease through sustainable food system and security.

The Regional director said that ‘’  ICRISAT’s interventions  in West and Central Africa will prioritise on increasing of agricultural production through adequate warehousing and supply of targeted breeder seed to ensure continued support in production of quality certified seed in partnership with selected Seed Companies and Farmers’ cooperatives. ICRISAT is also ready to provide assistance to development and food aid programs targeting relief interventions through digital platforms that can remotely monitor crop and environmental conditions, farming activity, commodity prices and supply chain transactions from remote”

In a series of interviews conducted by ICRISAT, Hajia Salamatu Garba, from Women farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) in Nigeria says, about 80-85% of smallholder farmers whom they work with are at risk of losing all their dry season investments as a result of the lockdown due to COVID-19. Although the shutdown approach is a global strategy to break the deadly cycle of the disease, the impact on economies is devastating says Hajia Salamatu Garba.

In order to mitigate the shock of the pandemic and its related effects on smallholder farmers and processors, ‘’ building capacities and providing financial and marketing support for the first six months of the closedown would be essential. E- extension becomes very important as an innovative way of working with extension workers and farmers. Farming needs to be led by information and communications technology (ICT) and should turn into a demand-driven vocation“ she suggests.