FG and Ogun Government Partner with IFAD to Train Farmers in Agribusiness

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has partnered with the Federal and Ogun State Governments to provide training to farmers in Yewa South Local Government Area of the State.

With the goal of enhancing their agro-business, the one-day training session encouraged farmers to implement the new Climate Smart Agriculture Practice (CSAP) and the contemporary System of Rice Intensification (SRI). The event took place in Ilaro on Tuesday, 27 August 2024, and was titled “The Year 2024 Pre-Season and Seasonal Climate Change Down Scaling Steps.”

Joshua Adeniyi, an agriculturist from the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), in his lecture, tasked farmers to utilize and adopt cutting-edge skills and techniques in SRI to improve crop productivity and profitability. He assured them of the program’s financial benefits, which include higher yields and reduced stress with minimal water requirements, among other things.

Williams Akinwunmi, an IFAD engineer, discussed the effects of climate change on rural infrastructure, rice and cassava production. He emphasized the need for farmers to adopt CSAP, which he claimed would make them more environmentally friendly, and he also provided some tips on how to minimize these effects.

He pleaded with farmers to minimize their use of fertilizers, refrain from burning the bush, and make sure that water is managed properly when growing rice to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Emmanuel Bankole, a rice farmer from Moro, expressed gratitude to the government for its efforts to enhance crop varieties and offer farmers in the state regular training, and he promised to implement CSAP.

Omowunmi Ige, a cassava farmer in Oke-Odan, commended the organizers for educating them on a better agricultural system that would guarantee food sustainability and enhance the socioeconomic well-being of the populace.

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