Agriculture: Army Seeks Partnership with Ebonyi

agric stakeholders

The Nigerian Army as of late tried to band together with the Ebonyi State Government in the zone of farming keeping in mind the end goal to accomplish aggregate additions.

The Chief Transformation/Innovation of the Army, Major Gen. Edward Nze, revealed this when he drove an appointment from the Army home office in Abuja on an affability visit to the Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi.

Nze said the Army had in 2012 established a framework for the building of the Nigerian Army Campo Ration Factory in Abakaliki with a perspective to banding together the state to advance farming in the nation.

The Army boss valued the state government for giving a few sacks of Abakaliki rice to the Internally Displaced Persons in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

Likewise talking, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Army Properties Limited, Brig. Gen Umaru Mohammed, said the military was prepared to meet the general population of the state on their farmlands.

"Everywhere throughout the world, the military join in different things. Here in Nigeria, we have been catching wind of Abakaliki rice and it will be our pleasure to accomplice you in region of preparing this rice with the goal that we don't have to hurry to some other spot to purchase rice. Indeed, even Dangote won't have to import rice yet will simply come down to Abakaliki to purchase." Mohammed said

Reacting, Governor Umahi, spoke to by his appointee, Barrister Kelechi Igwe, recognized the Army for their vision in the zone of farming and guaranteed them that his administration would be prepared to accomplice them.

Igwe said their thought was in accordance with his administration's arrangement in the range of agribusiness.

"Abakalik rice is the best rice on the planet with high healthful quality. As a state, we as of now have an approach trust equipped towards horticulture and it will be our pleasure to accomplice you. In the event that you require HR, you will get that from us in plenitude yet we will dependably hop on your back at whatever point it goes to the issue of money."

Lagos Govt. to Prosecute Owners of Stray Animals

Dog

The Lagos State Government has cautioned that it would indict proprietors of local creatures and pets that strayed inside of the Lagos city.

The State Commissioner for Agriculture, Toyin Suarau, gave the notice in an announcement made accessible to newsmen yesterday in Lagos.

As indicated by the announcement issued by the Assistant Director of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Agriculture, Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, the official has met with proprietors of creatures at Oko-Oba, Agege, to look for their participation.

The announcement cited the official as saying that "proprietors of straying creatures ought to keep them as opposed to losing them to bring about mischances on the streets. Aside from bringing on mishaps on our streets, these straying creatures could likewise spread infectious illnesses, for example, Bacillus anthracis, rabies, tuberculosis and different sicknesses that could prompt demise," it said.

The announcement said the administration would send "Agric-Marshals" to all chamber territories of the state to actualize its stray creature control arrangement.

"The administration is concerned and would no more endure the propensity for discharging groups of steers around evening time along real streets and thruways in the city," the announcement cautioned.

It asked inhabitants to participate with the powers to free the condition of stray creatures, while proprietors of such creatures ought to take sufficient consideration of them to keep away from appropriation.

The announcement educated occupants to call any concerning the accompanying devoted lines for prompt reaction for stray creatures – 08077775657, 08057761762, 07033348402 and 08023934920.

"Together we can make Lagos a protected spot in the event that we all say no to stray creatures on our streets,"

Little Beans, Big Opportunities

beans

November 19, 2015, 8:00am - 4:00pm
New York Academy of Sciences
7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich Street, 40th Floor
New York City, New York, United States

The General Assembly of the United Nations declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses. Global activities throughout the International Year of Pulses will bring together members of the entire pulse crop value chain, as well as policy makers, NGOs, researchers, health professionals and members of several UN organizations with the overall aim of realizing the potential of these nutrient-dense crops to meet the global nutrition and agriculture challenges of our time.

This conference will be the inaugural event, focusing on the role of pulses in healthy and sustainable diets. Presentations will explore how pulses can make critical contributions to better nutrition and health and look at opportunities for enhancing these benefits broadly through food system innovations.

Danielle will be speaking on a panel title “The Role of Policy and Partnerships in Sustainable and Nutritious Diets.”

Adamawa Farmers Raise Alarm Over Imminent Poor Yield Of Crops

Dearth of fertilizer

Dearth of fertilizers and other agricultural supplements may lead to poor harvest of farm produce in 2015 in Adamawa State, the branch chairman of Adamawa State All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Mr Venatus Jiddere has disclosed.

Jiddere who raised the alarm in an interview with newsmen in Yola, attributed the problem to political instability in the state.

“The 2015/2016 agricultural season comes with its peculiar problem due to change of government.

“The scenario brought complete lack of fertilizers because the outgoing government did not leave behind fertilizers for the incoming government.

“Our farmers have testified to this deficiency of nutrients hence the poor crop quality and possibility of poor harvest being expected this year.” Jiddere lamented.

He noted that from information available to him, consignment of fertilizers procured by the state government has started arriving in the state advising the state government to hasten the distribution of the commodity for the purpose of dry season farming.

“The dry season farming begins in October and there should be no excuse to this fact.” Jiddere said

He urged the government to maintain the Monitoring and the Distribution Committees on Fertilizers as it exists in the state.

Jiddere solicited collaboration between government and agricultural research institutions and seed centres to make available, improved seedlings and pest control to farmers.

He urged government to provide farmers with functional seeds multiplication centres in all the 21 local government areas of the state.

Modern Biotechnology ‘ll Trigger Agric Revolution – NBMA DG

Mr Rufus Ebegba

The director-general of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Mr Rufus Ebegba, has said that the safe application of modern biotechnology will trigger agricultural revolution in Nigeria.

Ebegba stated this yesterday when he paid a courtesy visit on the management of LEADERSHIP newspapers at its corporate headquarters in Abuja.

According to Ebegba, modern biotechnology has the huge potential to enhance the agricultural sector by drastically improving the output of farmers.

The NBMA boss said the Biosafety Act recently signed into law by the federal government will enable the new parastatal under the Ministry of Environment to effectively regulate the safe application of biotechnology in the nation.

He said: “This agency is a safety valve in the adoption of modern biotechnology for national economic development.

“Modern biotechnology has the huge potentials to enhance the agricultural sector, promote industrial growth, and the medical sector; and it can also be used for environmental sustainability; but our agency is not to promote modern biotechnology or its products but to ensure the safety because we are aware that this technology has that potential for adversity especially in the agricultural sector.

“Biosafety is just ensuring safety in the applications of modern biotechnology and use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) and the public needs to know that government is making effort to ensure that products that will be delivered through this technology will be safe for human health and the environment.”

He assured Nigerians that the agency will provide a holistic biosafety regulation to ensure that modern biotechnology is applied for economic sustainability, stressing that though no adverse effect has been recorded via the application of modern biotechnology.

Rescuing Food to Feed Portland’s Hungry Families

Urban Gleaners Director, Diana Foss discusses the organizations many programs to rescue and redistribute fresh, nutritious food throughout the Portland area.

Urban Gleaners is a food-rescue charity that has been operating in Portland, Oregon since 2006. The organization picks up food from restaurants and grocery stores and redistributes it to agencies that are helping to feed hungry families all over the city. Urban Gleaners also runs a number of programs that address hunger in schools, operate free farmers markets, provide emergency food relief, and operate a mobile market.

Food Tank had the opportunity to speak with Diana Foss, Director of Urban Gleaners.

Food Tank (FT): How do you contribute to creating a better food system?

Diana Foss (DF): Urban Gleaners rescues wholesome food that would otherwise be thrown away and redistributes it to hungry children and their families. We collect food from restaurants, grocery stores, manufacturers, farms, and farmers markets and deliver it, free of charge, to pantries at more than 20 schools and housing complexes in Multnomah County. 

FT: What is a project, program, or result you are most proud of? Please explain.

DF: We are most proud of our Food to Schools program, which gets nutritious, fresh food including dairy, organic produce, and whole-grain bread directly into the hands of children who need it most.

FT:  What are your goals for 2015 and beyond?

DF: This year we are planning to buy a new van, which we will convert into a Mobile Market. This will allow us to take our wholesome, fresh food, free of charge, to families who are unable to travel to our school-based pantries.

FT: In one sentence, what is the most important thing eaters and consumers can do today to support a more sustainable food system?

DF: Eaters and consumers can shop for food that is grown with care for both the people who work the land and the land itself, and use it wisely so it is not wasted.

FT: How can individuals become more involved in your organization?

DF: We couldn’t do our work without our committed volunteers. Volunteers pick up donations, sort food in our warehouse, and repack prepared foods into smaller containers.

U.S Pledges More Support For Nigeria’s Agric. Development

maize farm

Mr Kurt Seifarth, Regional Agricultural Counselor in Nigeria for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, on Thursday restated his government’s commitment to supporting Nigeria in the development of her agriculture sector.

Seifarth disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on the sidelines of a one-day interactive conference with Nigeria’s retail food business operators.

The U.S. official said that his government had concluded arrangement to assist more Nigerian farmers in “priority areas” so far identified by Nigerian government.

“From my experience around the world, all countries are developing their agricultural resources based on their priorities.

“And Nigeria is amongst those countries that have the possibility of being a very strong agricultural products producer.

“We are, therefore, ready to provide the needed technical assistance to Nigerian farmers in the priority areas the government has identified,’’ he said.

Seifarth said that it was imperative for his government to support the farmers in overcoming their current challenges.

He also said that it was imperative for Nigeria to sustain her food safety laws, overall framework for producing fruits, as well as develop her poultry farming system.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is the U.S. Federal Executive Department responsible for developing and executing the government’s policy on farming, agriculture, forestry and food.

It was set up to meet the needs of farmers and ranchers, promote agricultural trade and production, work to assure food safety and protect natural resources.

The Department is to foster rural communities and end hunger in the United States and internationally.

Niger Assembly Seeks Action Against Cattle Rustling

Hon Ahmed Marafa,

The speaker, Niger State House of Assembly, Hon Ahmed Marafa, has urged the security agents in the state to step up their strategy to curb criminal activities especially cattle rustling in the state.

Hon Marafa who was represented by the deputy speaker, Mohammed Husseini at the resumption of plenary after over a month recess yesterday stated that the House was ready to collaborate with other arms   of government and agencies for the progress of the state.

He stated that the clash between farmers and the herdsmen must also be checked, adding that the   security agents in the state must devise a strategy for a renewed operation so that the state could   remain peaceful as it was known for, over the years.

He said the expectation of the people about the All Progressives Congress (APC) government in the state was high and that as lawmakers, they could not let the people down in delivering to them the   desired services.

He also commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives during this year’s pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and the people and government of Niger State over the death of the state accountant general, Shehu Kontagora.

Agric Institute Sets To Equip Students With Agribusiness Skills

Akperan Orshi

The Rector, Akperan Orshi College of Agruculture, Yandev, Dr Samuel Ahemen, said the school has introduced additional courses in management to equip students with agribusiness skills

 Ahemen told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Yandev, Gboko, Benue that the school has expanded its curriculum to accommodate managerial courses to equip students to adopt agriculture as a business

 He said the new courses were designed to broaden the scope of students by equipping them with necessary skills to produce, organize and market their products for profit.

 The rector explained that in the past graduates were trained to specialise in their different areas of fields while the business aspect of the training was excluded.

 According to him, the decision to include managerial courses was to enable the schools’ graduates approach farming as business and not as vocation.

 ” In line with the vision of the new administration both at the federal and state levels, which aims at making agriculture a business, the school has introduced additional courses in management to equip students with managerial skills.

 “It is hoped that these students will be able to manage agriculture as a business when they graduate from here instead of looking for white collar jobs.”

 Ahemen, also a graduate of the school, regretted declining staff productivity and blamed it on non staff recruitment over 16 years.

 He, however, commended the incumbent administration for demonstrating tremendous interest in the well being of the institution.

 “When the governor paid us a visit and saw the condition of the laboratories, he was so disappointed that he refused to go round, but promised to construct laboratories and equip them.”

 The rector explained that the former administration under Gov. Gabriel Suswam, had awarded contract for the upgrade of the laboratory but had not executed it.

 “The contractor came and removed the roofing of the building and did not return to carry out work and the rains destroy the facilities in the building,” he said.

 The rector told NAN that unless the old contract is terminated, nothing can be done on the project.

 He explained that as soon as the legal works for the termination of the contract was completed, work on the laboratory would commence.

 On internally Generated Revenue (IGR), the rector, who did not disclose figures, said it was low but added that the school was not a profit making institution.

 He explained that so much of the schools’ revenue was lost to theft from neighbouring communities since the school was not fenced.

 “Most of our palm kernels were harvested by thieves since the place is still open and we have very few security guards.

 “They also steal our eggs in the same way and it has become very difficult to secure these products due to inadequacy of security personnel and lack of a perimeter wall around the school,” he said.

 He, however, said the college has commenced the fencing of the school to prevent intruders into the schools’ premises.

Harvesting the Research: Common, Easily Enhanced Species Are Most Important to Crop Pollinatio

Surprising findings indicate that some wild pollinators might be much more important to farmers than others

Food Tank interviewed David Kleijn, lead author of a paper on crop pollination services by wild species. Enhancing the ecosystem service of pollination will be key to the ecological intensification of agriculture.

The overall message: The authors found that the economic benefit of crop pollination services is provided mostly by common species. They therefore conclude that a focus on the economic value of pollinator services is an insufficient argument for preserving rare and threatened species of pollinators.

The research: Using data from 90 studies that spanned 1,394 crop fields, the authors tested three hypotheses:

1. The majority of pollination services are provided by a small number of wild species.
2. These species are relatively common, while rare and threatened species do not contribute much to the ecosystem service of pollination.
3. These common species can be easily enhanced by simple farm management practices.

The findings of the paper confirmed all three hypotheses. Only 2 percent of the 735 wild bee species observed in the datasets provided over 80 percent of pollination services.

Food Tank (FT): What are two key points of your paper, in laymens’ terms?

David Kleijn (DK): The first key point is that wild pollinators are just as important as honeybees for crop pollination. We can use the importance of wild pollinators to interest farmers in implementing new conservation measures. We are already seeing examples of this in the United States and in the Netherlands, where fruit farmers are establishing wild pollinator habitat next to fruit crops, often without government subsidies.

The second key point of the paper is that only a small number of common wild bee species visit crop flowers. These species can be enhanced relatively easily to contribute to crop pollination. Most other bee species do not occur on cropland and/or do not forage on crop flowers; the preservation of these species, many of which are threatened in their existence, requires traditional conservation practices such as protected areas and reserves. We therefore concluded that a sole focus on ecosystem services might occur at the expense of these threatened species that don’t contribute much to crop pollination. We need both.

FT: Why is your review relevant to the transition to sustainable agriculture?

DK: Our review shows which species contribute to crop pollination and which species do not. This has two advantageous. First, it will help better target measures that intend to preserve pollination services. We can make recommendations on which plant species will enhance floral resources for wild pollinators outside of the crop flowering period, and we can tell farmers where to plant them. This will make preservation efforts much more effective.

Second, it will show which wild bee species might benefit from the planting of insect-pollinated crops; farmers can have positive side effects on pollinators through their crop choices. Indeed, other studies have already found that bee species using floral resources from crops have more positive population trends than bee species that use wild plant species.

FT: In the paper, you contend rare and threatened species contribute very little to plant pollination. Could this be because their populations are already quite diminished? Might they not contribute in valuable (and perhaps unforeseen) ways if their populations were to be replenished?

DK: The rarity of threatened bee species is part of the reason why they contribute little, but certainly not the whole story. Some species that fly on crops used to be quite common and used to contribute substantially to crop pollination. Their decline is mostly related to land use change and a shift in the types of crops that are grown. 

The decline of semi-natural habitat, in both quantity and quality, has resulted in the unintended consequence of loss of pollinator habitat, which has lessened the contribution of these species to crop pollination. Another reason for the limited contribution of threatened species to crop pollination is that they specialize on certain non-crop flowers or habitats that have declined over the years. It is unlikely that these species will become important for crop pollination even if they become more abundant once again.

FT: Despite the lower economic payoff of conservation of rare and threatened species, you do contend that their preservation is still of vital importance. How might this importance be valued if no economic benefit can be quantified? Could rare pollinator species conservation be incorporated into payment for ecosystem services schemes such that this importance is conveyed through public policy?

DK: Yes, I think it is of vital importance that we conserve also the species for which we have no evidence that we benefit economically from their existence. Quantifying the value of nature is quite useful to demonstrate to the general public that we benefit from biodiversity, something most people do not realize. However, it is useless to try to place a price on everything or argue that we should only conserve things if we benefit economically from it. That is not how people think. We conserve many things, like art and old buildings, because it makes us feel good, because we think it is the right thing to do, or just for the fun of it. I think policymakers, conservationists, and scientists should use both arguments for conservation.

The need to conserve biodiversity for the ecosystem services it provides has become the dominant conservation paradigm, especially amongst policymakers. Our paper warns that too much focus on ecosystem services might go at the expense of all the other species that do not contribute much to service provisioning. We need both.

FT: Do your results also have implications for farm management practices? How would you explain the results of your paper to a farmer looking to participate in a transition to sustainable intensification?

DK: Our study shows that it is easy to enhance the common species that provide most of the pollination services to farmers. Other papers have shown that an increase in wild pollinators results in higher yields or higher quality products, and/or can partly replace nutrient inputs. If a farmer wanted to become more sustainable, the first action to take would be to enhance flower abundance in pre-existing semi-natural landscape elements on the farm.

These areas could include roadside ditches, hedges, or leftover areas around barns and sheds. These habitats are usually of limited value to pollinators currently, because they contain few flowers and represent poor nesting habitat. Since these areas are not suitable for crops and require minimal changes in management, this is pretty much a win-win method to farm in a more sustainable way.