Take flood advantage to farm, says NAEALs former Director

The former Director, National Agricultural Extension And Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) Engr. (Prof) Mohammed Khalid Othman has encouraged farmers to take advantage of soil moisture from flood residuals to mass produce food crops for commercialization and food security, just as he advocated for technologies transfer to ensure skillful farming of farmers in the country. 

Prof. Mohammed Khalid Othman disclosed this during an exclusive interview in Abuja with Food Farm News during his fellowship induction into the Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers held last November 11, 2022.

Othman advised farmers to harness the advantages in the moist soil occasioned by flooding to embark on mass food production saying the residuals are rich in soil nutrients for high yield of crops adding that farmers need to be well educated with this advantage as well to be taught how they can prevent their crops from being washed away by waters.

According to him “Now that we have this flooding that has occurred in several places, the question is how can we convert these problems into an opportunity? Is it possible? There must be flood residuals everywhere that farmers can be encouraged to use for farming’’

Othman stressed that technologies transfer through extension services is very germane to commercial food production, saying ‘’ Agriculture isn’t about production of food alone. No, it is a business that requires knowledge investment because you don't go into any business without having the skill and knowledge even if you had the capital, you will not be able to make a good business. So extension is more or less a methodology of educating farmers on how to go about their farming. So essentially is the tool that is being utilized to educate farmers to package the technology for farmers’’