The National Agriculture Show, NAS, over the last six years become a veritable tool for all the stakeholders from across the three tiers of government, donor agencies, development partners and local producers to brainstorm on how to move the sector to the next level.<\/p>\n
With this year\u2019s celebration tagged \u201cPromoting Sustainable Investment in Agriculture in Nigeria\u201d, several events have been carefully packaged to engage all the stakeholders with the most critical been the seminar where fantastic papers were presented.<\/p>\n
In his paper christened \u201cThe Challenges of Integrating Small Scale Farmers into the Agricultural Value Chains in Nigeria\u201d, Prof. Tunji Arokoyo, Consultant agriculturist and Agriculture Extension Transformation Agenda, AETA, Team Leader said, despite the fact that agriculture is the backbone of the economy of most African countries and the major preoccupation of their peoples, its performance has remained both low and unimpressive. Consequently, food insecurity, massive unemployment especially among the youths, and crushing poverty, remain serious challenges even today.<\/p>\n
In recognition of the serious challenges of African agriculture, the African Heads of State have committed themselves through the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program, CAADP to urgently address the problems in order to ensure food security and significantly reduce poverty. CAADP is \u201ca continental initiative endorsed by the African Heads of States and Government in July 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique as an African-owned framework for the restoration of agricultural growth in Africa through commitment of 10% of their annual budgets to agriculture.<\/p>\n
In the case of Nigeria, Orokoya described it as a vast agricultural country \u201cendowed with substantial natural resources\u201d which include: 68 million hectares of arable land; fresh water resources covering about 12 million hectares, 960 kilometers of coastline and an ecological diversity which enables the country to produce a wide variety of crops and livestock, forestry and fisheries products.<\/p>\n
He also said, \u201cNigeria has the largest National Agricultural Research and Extension System (NARES) in Sub-Saharan Africa today, made up of: 17 Commodity-based Research Institutes, a specialized National Agricultural Extension Institute, 78 Faculties of Agriculture in regular Federal\u00a0 and State Universities; 3 specialized Universities of Agriculture and one International Agricultural Research Centre (IITA) and 50 Federal and State Colleges of Agriculture and related disciplines (Fisheries, Animal Production and Health, Land Resources etc.<\/p>\n
He maintained however that, \u201cthe Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) driven by AETA has been designed to accomplish this important goal: to respond to the critical needs of small scale farmers to move them to the next level and to truly get agriculture back on track again in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo achieve a hunger-free Nigeria through an agricultural sector that drives income growth, accelerates achievement of food and nutritional security, generates employment and transforms Nigeria into a leading player in the global food markets to grow wealth for million of farmers\u201d<\/p>\n
To put in place a legislated, pluralistic, knowledge-based, demand-responsive, market-oriented and ICT-driven extension system with: assured and regular sources of funding, a well-trained and motivated staff, effectively catering for a variety of actors along targeted value chains of interest to the government\u201d.<\/p>\n
As regards implementation strategy, he suggested, sensitization and mobilization of all stakeholders, technology transfer, human capital development, social capital development, social capital development, sustainable natural resources management and climate change adaptation, capacity building, access to credit\/financial services among others.<\/p>\n
On his part, the Director General of Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NIMET, Dr. Anthony Anuforom while presenting his paper on the subject, \u201cNIMET\u2019s Role in Addressing the Impact of Flooding on Agriculture & Food Security\u201d asserted that, \u201cThe agriculture\/food security sector is highly weather-sensitive and as such, it is extremely vulnerable to natural hazards of hydro-meteorological origin such as flood and drought. These weather-related hazards constitute about 90% of natural disasters. They also account for about 75% of the casualties and 75% of economic losses usually incurred during such disasters (WMO 2007).<\/p>\n
\u201cFlood tops the list of such hazards and constitutes one of the deadliest and costliest disasters worldwide, giving rise to about 40% of fatalities from natural disasters. The magnitude of flood disasters has indeed risen sharply globally in the past decade, climaxing in recent years with huge socio-economic losses including lives.<\/p>\n
Flood disasters adversely affect the sector both directly on the crops and livestock and indirectly on the agricultural infrastructure and the farmers. For example, excessive moisture in the soil causes oxygen levels in the soil to decrease, impeding proper root respiration. As a result, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen and nitrogen gas levels around the roots increase sharply, thus, roots suffocate and die, resulting in poor yields, which in turn give rise to food crisis. Other impacts include; destruction of agric infrastructure (farmlands, dams, tractors, etc. Reduced crop yield\/decline in food production and increased mortality of animals, posing threat to farmers\u2019 income. Malnutrition and other health implications of the polluted flood. Destruction of road infrastructures, which poses obstacles to marketing of the surviving farm produce. Flood also enhances pest development.<\/p>\n
As regards the role of his agency is cushioning the effect of climatic conditions, the DG said, \u201cNIMET\u2019s role in addressing these flood challenges in the sector is basically that of provision of information services, which are tailored to climate information services\u2019 needs of the sector . These\u00a0 are tagged:\u00a0 \u2018Agro-climate Information Services (AIS)\/products\u2019. The objective of NIMET\u2019s AIS is not only to provide Early Warning Services (EWS) in the\u00a0\u00a0 event of disasters like flood, but the AIS also provides guidance on decision-makings in all aspects of the Agricultural Value Chain, e.g. choice of crop varieties, planting date, etc.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is to ensure farmers\u2019 optimal utilization of climate as a critical resource\u00a0 in the sector as well as assist them to adapt to any micro-climate modifications\u00a0 and reduce associated\u00a0 loss. The AIS include:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Annual\/Seasonal Rainfall Prediction, SR; gives the on-set and cessation dates of the cropping season, amount & Length of Growing Season, LGS. The SRP is mainly for planning purposes by operators in the Agric & other socio-economic sectors like water resource.\u00a0 It also provides advisories to farmers on selection of crop variety that will suit the predicted hazards e.g. drought or flood.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Decadal Agromet (Bulletin), i.e. published every 10 days: It gives the rainfall amount & anomalies, the soil moisture condition, temperature variations, growing degree days, etc. as well as the weather outlook for the following decade. It thus aids monitoring of agro-climate conditions and expected impact on crop and livestock performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe farmers \u2018guide according to gives advisories on What, Where, How and When to plant, and so reduces risk of crop failures.\u00a0 It also contains information on the onset & cessation dates of rains, LGS, annual rainfall & rainfall equivalent to be added by way of irrigation to ensure better Yield.\u00a0 It is indeed very useful for Agricultural Investors.<\/p>\n
Crop-weather- calendar, CWC, on the other hand the NIMET insisted is a vital planning tool for farmers, especially when used in conjunction with NIMET\u2019s Seasonal Rainfall Prediction, SRP.
\nOn the marine met inshore and shipping forecast Dr. Anuforom said monitors the coastal weather including the Sea Surface Temperature, SST, and provides early warnings on coastal flood & storm surge, in aid of maritime activities like fishing.<\/p>\n
In the area of collaborations, Dr. Anuforom In order to ensure effectiveness of the AIS products in the agric sector, NIMET embarks on collaborative activities with some relevant stakeholders which has led to: \u201cIdentifying farmers\u2019 AIS needs and receiving feedbacks on the use of the AIS products through the Agric Extension Services workers like NAERLS.\u00a0 Others include ATBU, Bauchi, IAR, Zaria and FEWSNET.<\/p>\n
\u201cOrganization of enlightenment programmes for rural farmers on the usefulness of weather information to the sector under the METAGRI programme. The farmers are usually reached through the assistance of the All Farmers association and the ADPs. NIMET also donate rainguages to the farmers towards improving the climate databank.<\/p>\n
\u201cNIMET is also involved in the development of a Crop-weather Based Insurance Scheme (CBIS); a form of climate change coping strategy to reduce the attendant great agricultural losses especially by the small scale farmers.\u00a0 NIMET provides the necessary threshold values of the relevant weather parameters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition to the BIS, NIMET has very strong collaboration with NEMA in the dissemination of alerts\/warnings on likely occurrence of flood or any other weather-related hazards. It is therefore strongly recommended that more concerted efforts be made in ensuring the application of NIMET\u2019s Agro-climate Information Services, AIS,\u00a0 products by all agro-allied stakeholders, especially the local farmers, agricultural extension workers, etc. This would indeed ensure good agricultural yields and guarantee food security. It will also promote sustainable investment in the agric sector and truly ensure the success of Mr. President\u2019s Transformation Agenda in the sector, both at the LGA, State and National levels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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