The capacity-building component has ensured that more than 59,000 smallholder farmers and 2,000 agro-entrepreneurs in Nigeria have been trained on newer, innovative ways of farming, particularly in the production, distribution, and marketing of vegetables for a more aggressively improved agricultural practice and food production.
According to BusinessDay, the agriculture-based training programmme is financed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria, while implementation is led by a consortium that includes the International Fertilizer Development Center, IFDC; East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer, EWS-KT; Wageningen University & Research, WUR; and KIT Institute, KIT.
He said this at the two-day workshop held recently in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital: “The Dutch-funded programme is aimed at increasing productivity and income of 60,000 smallholder farmers in Kaduna and Kano, as well as pilot innovation with 2,000 entrepreneurial farmers in the two South-western states of Ogun and Oyo,” according to Mohammed Idris, the Director of HortiNigeria Programme.
According to him, the target for the programme is 40% women and 50% youth up to the end of 2025. He disclosed that with the trainings provided in good agronomic practices to farmers, production had increased by 92% in the various vegetable crops they work on.
“Since the program commencement, other landmark achievements have been recorded for access to finance for MSMEs, improving sector coordination and business linkages. It has been about six months since we rolled out HortiNigeria across ten value chains in the horticulture sector.
He said, “Since November 2021, HortiNigeria has launched several initiatives across ten value chains within the horticulture sector: cabbage, cucumber, okra, onions, pepper, sweetcorn, tomatoes, and watermelon”.
“As HortiNigeria moves into its last year of implementation in 2025, the program is set to increase its geographical reach and continue its important work in strengthening the capacities of smallholder farmers, agro-entrepreneurs, financial institutions and other actors operating in the horticulture sector”.
He further said, “This is evidence of what we have accomplished so far in the past years, hard work through our consortium partners and doggedness by different players across commodity value chains.”
Meanwhile, as part of efforts toward piloting such innovations, HortiNigeria is partnering with various business champions, including Soilless farm lab in biogas, to promote waste to wealth.
The farmers and other value chain actors were, during the learning workshop, also exposed to different sections of the soilless fam lab at Awowo farm settlement for encouragement in innovative farming.
During its visit to Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB Farm hubs, the HortiNigeria team showcased solar irrigation pumps and introduced best practices promoting Eco-Efficient solutions.
One of the beneficiaries from Ogun State, Adetola Taiwo, at an event during the tours to Awowo and FUNAAB, poured out her expressions for the good deed and morale booster by HortiNigeria towards women and youth farmers.
She noted they were exposed to best practices agro, and now make more use of innovation and productivity.
According to another beneficiary, Omolola Balogun, from Oyo State, the project had built their capacity and, in many ways, the input technology, such that they could comfortably farm throughout the year.