Food scarcity looms, no dry season farming, NIMET predicts shorter rain.

There is great indication that year 2015 might experience a down turn of food security as the presidential dry season farming for the year 2014 could not take place due to lack of fund just as indication from Nigerian Metrological Agency has predicted shorter rain thereby advocating for proactive steps to ensure food conservation. 

The Federal government in her determined spirit to reduce billions of dollars expended on food import into the country has proactively embarked upon using the all year round planting seasons to beef up food production after the 2012 flood disaster thereby providing support of improved inputs of seeds and fertilizer to farmers through electronic system of GES.

 Our sources revealed that the year 2014 president’s dry season farming of rice, maize, sorghum and other crops at the value chain of Agricultural Transformation Agenda could not take off due to lack of fund as preparation that supposed to have started by last year December became impossible. 

Food Farm News consistently monitors to see the take off of this dry season farming but to no avail as many official responses revealed that lack of fund and political uncertainty has over ride the event.

Although some states in the North and South who are very serious about food security business did not wait for the federal government support as they provided the logistic for their famers to embark on dry season farming.

Coupled with this, the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) in its prediction of weather for the 2015 has said that shorter rain will be predominant thereby giving room for more dry spells as farmers from the northern part are advised to plant drought resistant crops varieties to forestall the effect of shorter planting season to food security.

According to NIMET’s prediction in its Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) booklet for 2015, it was stated that “Dry spells are likely to occur as a result of the El-Nino condition prevailing throughout the season. Consequently, farmers in the extreme northern states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Bauchi, Yobe and Bornu are advised to note that the length of the growing season is expected to be shorter” and thereby suggested that drought resistant crops should be planted.

NIMET also pointed that livestock production would mostly be negatively affected by the combined effect of the predicted warmer than normal temperature as there will be delayed onset and early cessation thereby resulting to below normal rainfall in many parts of the country.

“To ensure adequate and sufficient good yield of cereal, root crops and other crop-types in 2015, farmers will need to be supported with sufficient irrigation. Increased sensitization will need to be embarked upon by all stakeholders to disseminate this information early enough to ensure that adequate measures are put in place by the MDAs in the agriculture sector to reduce losses. 

The predicted warmer than normal temperatures in the month of February and April in the country will impact storage, packaging and transportation of perishable agricultural products. Therefore the use of climate change-controlled warehouses for storage and night time transportation of perishable produce is strongly advised” said NIMET.

Our citadel is unique in giving agric skill- Acting Vice Chancellor, Landmark University.

I am Prof. Joseph Olasehinde Afolayan, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Landmark University, Omuo-Aran, Kwara state.

In the face of food security cum increasing population and limited youths to replace older farmers with modern technologies, what role is your university playing in all these to mitigate challenges?

Well, the focus of the university is agriculture, and by this, the intension is that whatever the numbers of programme we run within the university, every stakeholder in the system is encouraged to be involved in agriculture. Currently we have three colleges in the university which are agricultural sciences, business and social sciences and collage of science and engineering. All the student and staff of these colleges are always engaged in farming or any other agricultural practices. 

We do not leave the students of college of agricultural science alone to farming practice, but all students have to be involved as an entrepreneurship skill acquisition. We have just expanded our scope of agricultural activities for this omega semester from once in week to every other day of the week for each level of the student from hundred to five hundred levels together with their staff from early morning of 7am to 10 am- Monday to Friday. 

This will give more involvement to every student and staff in the agricultural skill and practices. In the farm, they will be exposed to different aspect of farming like crops, animal husbandry, rabitary, piggery, snailery, sheep and goat, poultry, and fishery. Also we have planned to encourage all staff in the university to get involved especially those who are accommodated on campus, their backyard should be used for gardens to plant vegetables, bananas or any other citrus crops.

How would you describe the theme of the conference as regards food security?

The conference theme is very excellent and this is appropriate at this time due to challenges we have in agriculture as soil is very important even when there are availability of green houses. For effective agriculture, you need to know the nature of soil you are planting on thereby ensuring appropriate crops for the right type of soil and steps to be taken in order to improve the quality of the soil for maximum utilization. 

A conference like this will proffer solutions to challenges of soil and climate change as a lot of heads who are coming together from different background will rub minds and share their experiences which I believe at the end of the programme will be of benefit to the entire agricultural practice as regards food security in the country.

Wales council farm sell-off continues.

Local authorities in Wales have sold off almost £3.75m of farmland in the past 12 months to help meet budget targets.
New figures from the Welsh government show that nine authorities with smallholding estates sold off 185.28ha (457.82 acres) in the 12 months to the end of March 2014, raising £3,724,312.

Flintshire disposed of the largest amount at 60ha (148 acres), Monmouthshire sold 49ha (121 acres), Wrexham 28ha (69 acres), Merthyr Tydfil 24ha (59 acres) and Carmarthenshire 13ha (32 acres).
Since they were conceived after the First World War to provide returning servicemen with work, council smallholdings have given thousands of people their first foothold on the agricultural ladder.
But over the past 35 years, councils have been steadily dispensing with their farms and the number of tenants has dropped by about two-thirds.

Local authorities in Wales now own just over 18,000ha (44,478 acres), run as smallholdings.
In all there are 924 tenants of council smallholdings, with some being tenants of multiple farms.

Powys has the biggest smallholding landbase – 4,578ha (11,312 acres). Anglesey has 2,522ha (6,231 acres), Pembrokeshire 2,065ha (5,102 acres) and Carmarthenshire 1,329ha (3,283 acres).

In total, councils were providing 1,022 smallholdings of which 629 (62%) were below 20ha (50 acres) and 248 (24%) were between 20-40ha (50-100 acres). There were 145 (14%) bigger than 40ha (100 acres).
During 2013-14, 165 new tenancies were granted. Of these, 28 were handed to new entrants and 137 to existing tenants. Twenty-nine tenancies were terminated.

Economy cannot diversify without research says IAR&T boss, Prof. Adediran

I am Prof. James Alabi Adediran, the Executive Director, Institute of Agricultural Research & Training, Moorplantation, Ibadan.

Your Institute is very strategic to soil management with the event going on here, what do you think it can attract to your Institute as regards your mandate to agriculture and food security?

My Institute has a national mandate on soil research and as a result we are very close to the activities of soil scientists of Nigeria as every year we endeavour to attend this conference, moreso that I am the National Secretary of the society, and this has also necessitated our active participation in the society. Well you will see that the “theme” of this year is “managing soil for nutritional and food security and climate change and Adaptation and mitigation” this is part of our work in the Institute for the purpose bringing development necessary in all area of soil in the country. We all know that soil is very important in the food production and not only that, very important in the life of human beings looking at the conference logo on healthy soil for healthy living.

How is the synergy between Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) and your Institute in the face of research with integration of climate change challenges to food security?

All our activities are centred on the environment in which we are working. By environment we mean climate, weather, soil and waters that surround us. We cannot carry out research without collaborating with NIMET as we always make use of their weather stations to collate weather data that we put in the computer for the analysis of the our own data for research work. So we work in collaboration. The data from NIMET helps us to improve on our research work in building well weather resistance improved technologies for food security and soil improvement.

How you describe the commitment of government and increasing population in the face of making food available through improved?

I will say the support is not adequate. Although one cannot say government is not giving support because we are working in the research and we are normally paid our salaries. That is one support we are getting in the course of carrying our research, the other one is year in year out, they normally appropriate certain amount to us to carry out research, but however, the release of such funding is not always forth coming. About 33% of such money are what we get out the hundred percent which makes it very inadequate. In research your approach will determine the kind of result you will always get. In developed world where formidable researches are being carried out is a function of 100% support in term of money and grants.

 In Nigeria, it is not so as government is not giving enough support in terms of money for research and this is why many of our research work are there in the shelves and some are not completed as they remained half baked thereby making it impossible to be replicated elsewhere. The support given is not adequate to promote technologies we are trying to generate. These technologies are either half baked or in shelves as they are not sufficient enough to develop the economy of these country. It is expected of any nation to know that no amount of money is too much for research as is being done in the advanced countries of the world. 

The use of hoes and cutlass cannot meet required food production of the present growing population and borrowing technologies without investing on our own is not the best for our economy. Let me tell you, all these borrowed technologies are not adequately validated as we do not have the technologies for their validation before they are introduced to our farmers. We researchers are just struggling to engage government to help by paying attention to us. Research generation is always a continuous exercise because of the stages, as you have car using gas is not enough to make you relax without researching into the ones using solar for the purpose of alternative and economic growth through diversification. So government has to be more committed to research.

AFDB promises more jobs in Nigeria agric sector

    

The chief sponsor of Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Programme-Phase 1 (ATASP-1), African Development Bank (AFDB) which Nigeria agric Minister, Dr. akinwunmi Adesina has been penciled down alongside four other contestants as the likely new incoming President has said the injection of one hundred and seventy thousand dollar ($170,000.00) into agricultural development in the country is meant to create more jobs at the value chains of food production, processing and marketing in the country.

Speaking at the lunch of the programme at the newly opened regional office of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Rural Development Agriculture (IITA) at Lugbe, Abuja, the Country representative, AFDB Mr. Andoh Mensah said the motivation behind this financial support is hinged on the training programme of the young entrepreneurship in agriculture by IITA

The ATASP-1 which is financed by the African Development Bank (AFDB) to the tune of $170million according to Mr. Andoh  Mensah is aimed at creating additional income to more producers and entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector in Nigeria saying about 120,000 jobs along the value chain of the different commodities will be created for the youths in the project with reliance on IITA’s participatory training.

 Mr. Andoh Mensur expressed further that the ATASP-1 was part of the African Development Bank’s efforts towards positively contributing to the ATA of the Federal government of Nigeria aimed at creating 3.5 million jobs along key value chains. 

 The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD), Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina said that “Africa’s millionaires and billionaires  will make their money from Agriculture” adding that government will do everything possible to see that wealth is unlocked from this sector as more youths would be gainfully employed thereby bringing business opportunities to rural communities in the continent. 

The Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Nteranya Sanginga said “youths all over Africa are migrating in search of business opportunities, leaving behind a life time opportunity and an increasingly ageing population. The challenge is to create business opportunities for productive activity in agriculture and non-farm enterprises.

 Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina is among the five select candidates for the pump presidential position of AFDB as many indices have been speculated to have been working in his favour importantly as the present policy on agriculture in the country is seriously flying his credentials.

Dr. Adesina will be contesting with the Ethiopia’s finance minister, Sufian Ahmed, Cape Verdean Finance Minister, Cristana kamara, currently Vice President of the Islamic Development Bank, Birama Sidibe and Chad’s finance minister,  Kordje Bedoumra.

Adesina has been quoted to saying “I am excited to be shortlisted for the position of the President, African Development bank. I will develop every part of Africa. Africa is my home”

Stakeholders advocate for Avian Influenza eradication

Stakeholders at the recently held one day sensitization workshop titled “Bird Flu: how prepared are you” organized by the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Mando Kaduna State have called for eradication of the disease which they described as a killer virus to chickens saying the same measure applied to expunge Ebola must be used to totally eradicate it in Nigeria.

It was observed that Avian Influenza can also negatively affect human’s health based on contact with affected chickens through “touching infected birds, de feathering infected birds, touching secretion from infected birds ( saliva or fluids from infected birds), been in contact with the feces of infected birds, inhaling dry feces, dust from infected birds, preparing poultry for cooking, if birds was infected, which also includes the household setting, slaughtering or butchering infected poultry, market where live birds are sold, if bird has infection, those who handle them also have the risk of becoming ill”

Food Farm News speaking at the workshop with the Provost of the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Mando Kaduna State, Dr. Balarabe Morgaji Jahum said the purpose of the workshop was to sensitize farmers, veterinary and other health workers about taking proactive steps to prevent the occurrence of bird flu in the country as the state has recently experienced an outbreak of the virus adding that all hands must be on deck to ensure its prevention and eradication “

 He advised that all stakeholders in the sector must work as a team to ensure the termination of the zoonic disease but also pointed there are records of deaths occasioned through the disease thereby cautioned against consumption of any affected birds.

Professor Audu of the department of veterinary medicine at the ABU, Zaria stated that government intervention is very important in the curbing of the disease thereby commended effort being made so far saying “government at all levels have given much training to professionals and quarantine officers. The government is doing its best, having assisted in upgrading some life bird market, towards ensuring that birds are sold in a very wholesome manner for food safety” 

 Food Farm News checks from the avian influenza desk officer, Dr. Francis Kambai confirmed that an approximation of 7,000 to 8,000 birds have been stamped out in Kaduna state while markets have been disinfected adding that “measures are put in place to contend the spread of this disease in the state and thereby urged every Nigerian to buy their birds from the life bird market where processed birds are sold for take home and cook”