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By Gabriel Ewepu
ABUJA – AS Nigerians grapple with soaring food prices, nonprofit organizations, CropLife Nigeria in partnership with Extension Africa, declared that safe farming practices will boost food production and protect health of Nigerians.
This was made known at a launch a training programme with the theme ‘Safe Farming And Sustainable Future’, which was basically to create awareness and sensitise farmers in Nigeria on safe farming practices along with global best crop protection methods, and how to professionally apply pesticides on the farm.
Meanwhile, the capacity building programme championed by the two organisations focuses on unlocking the potentials of sustainable agriculture, which training of agric extension workers becomes paramount as far as safe crop practices are concerned, because they serve as farmers’ companions.
The ‘farmer-business associate training’ on climate-friendly crop protection practices in Nigeria is the a major focus of the two organisations’ partnership, which the pilot phase is commences in Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa States.
In an address of welcome, the President, CropLife Nigeria, David Achimugu, stressed that it has become very imperative for farmers in Nigeria adapt and adopt global best practices in food production as Nigerians health and productivity depends on what they produce as food.
The event had in attendance representatives from Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Federal Ministry of Environment, National Administration National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Women Farmers Association, FCT Chapter and others.
Achimugu said: “This programme will provide the optimal setting for best practice not only in sharing experiences but also in relationship-building between experts from the partnering institutions, other like-minded individuals and institutions with similar mandates, across the country and around the world.
“Interestingly, today’s programme will feature interactive panel discussions, focusing on how the agricultural innovations in recent times could be adopted to revolutionise the way we farm, thus positively increasing our national agricultural productivity, food safety and security.”
The Director Of Stewardship, Crop Life Africa And Middle East (CLAME), Ibrahim Traore, on the sidelines of the launch pointed out that with sustainable crop protection taken into consideration, there are also several ways of crops can be taken care of and not just on one particular tool for such by farmers, therefore, Traore added that for sustainable agricultural practices it is imperative farmers explore other methods that can improve their income and meet the demands of consumers.
However, he urged farmers to key into modern technologies that would boost their productivity as they imbibe best practices in their operations in order to be resilient amid climate change challenges.
“’The Safe Farming and Sustainable Future’ project aligns with our vision for sustainable agriculture. By adopting eco-friendly methods, farmers can mitigate climate changes’ impact, ensure biodiversity and promote environmental stewardship.
“Your participation will significantly contribute to Nigeria’s agricultural growth and development”, Iboroma said.