… says 40% of crops in the region are grown by women
Farmers supported by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in North-East region of Nigeria have hailed the support of the organisation, even as they look forward to a better harvest season going by the amount and quality of crops some of them have so far gathered from their fields.
“Most of the crops are grown by women who make up 40 percent of the project. They have already started harvesting their crops from the dry season interventions and have food for their families for some time to come while they sell part of their produce to make some money,” Salisu Bukar Mohammed Ngulde, a monitoring and evaluation officer at Community Based Agricultural and Rural Development Programme, and FA0 implementing partner, says in a statement.
Salisu, in the statement issued by FAO’s national communication officer, Emeka Anuforo, says the farmers are now able to get income, save feeding costs and have surplus in the home to take care of other basic needs for a few months.
Accordingly, he notes in the statement that FAO is collaborating with the governments of Belgium, Ireland and Japan to support these farmers.
He describes the intervention as very successful, hoping that more funds would be made available to take care of the larger number of IDPs, returnees, female-headed households, youths and the host communities who are in dire need of support.
Speaking on the impact of the support, Abba Mursi, one of the beneficiaries of the interventions, recounts how he fled his community in Bama after an attack two and half years ago and then took refuge in Gongulong Bulamari in the outskirts of Maidugiri, the Borno State capital, in Jere Local Government Area, some 75 kilometres away from Bama. “I fled from Bama on foot and left everything behind,” he said.
Mursi notes that FAO supported his return to productive life, adding that his carrot farm is doing well, less than three months after receiving seedlings and fertilizer support from FAO.
“I got assistance of assorted seeds and fertilizer from FAO. I started farming with the seeds when they were distributed in January 2017. It is from the farm that I have harvested these fresh carrots you see. The fertilizer and seed helped me to carry out farming in the dry season,” Mursi said.
In the same vein, Mele Muktar, a farmer originally from Koshabe in Mafa Local Government Area in Borno State, said “I have been on the FAO supported farm for a month. My seedlings beds are doing well. I hope to transfer them to the main site in days to come, as they are already looking forward to a good harvest.”
Furthermore, FAO in the statement says as part of its dry season interventions in support to IDPs, returnees and vulnerable host families in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, are through their support provided with capacity-building and skills, vegetable seeds, fertilizers and irrigation support for the dry season.
Also, Mursi and Muktar in the statement explain that some of the farmers who embraced the project are already experiencing the impact in their respective farm projects.
The early signs of a potentially good harvest are evident by the crisps and fresh carrots, huge cabbages and other vegetables being gathered from the fields, the statement notes.
“Supporting vulnerable host communities where men, and especially women and youth will be provided with food security, nutrition and livelihoods for both the dry and rainy seasons in the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe on a sustainable basis to recovery from hardship.
“We must all find durable and sustainable solutions and tackle the root causes of the crisis situation, especially that which affects livelihood and incomes of the populations,” Bukar Tijani, FAO assistant director-general and regional representative for Africa, said in the statement.
