Agriculture

NASC, IITA signs MOU on Community based Seed entrepreneurship

Published

2 years ago

May 27, 2023

National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to train thousands of community based Seed entrepreneurs as part of efforts to improve seed production and marketing in four north east States of Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe.

The project, funded by USAID, will involve training and supporting 2250 seed producers to become Community Based Seed Entrepreneurs (CBSE) in the four intervention states and facilitating the formation of these CBSE into 150 community based Seed enterprises cooperatives.

Speaking during the signing ceremony at the NASC headquarters in Abuja which happened to be his last official duty before exiting the Council as the Director General, Dr. Olusegun Philip Ojo, said the Council is responsible for ensuring that farmers have good quality seeds and that the Council works with several partners.

“And most of the innovations and technology introduced in the seed industry were done in collaboration with organisations like yours. So when the idea of partnering with IITA came, we were happy to embrace it. We want to continue to expand our collaborators and partners because we are positioning the Council as centre of excellence for seed industry in West Africa.

“For your information, Nigeria produces over 50% of good quality seeds in West Africa and we have become force of a sort when it comes to seed production. So now we get several references from organisations to come to us for the seed they need.

“IITA has been a good partner as we have been able to partner on several projects such as seed codex, among other. The community seed project is very dear to our hearts because, the seed companies alone cannot take care of all the seed needs of farmers and the need to ensure that farmers at the downstream and local level have access to the best of genetics, that is what the programme is addressing, especially in the north,and seed is a game changer in agriculture, it would be good if the project can be replicated across the country to make seed available for the farmers at the grassroots,” he said.

Also speaking, before signing the MoU, IITA Chief of Party, Prakash Kant Silwal, said through its Northeast Regional Office, it has collaborated with the activity in training 1,937 Community Based Seed Producers on improved seed production and marketing techniques in Adamawa and Borno States between 2020 and 2022.

He said the organisation has also monitored the seed fields of these CBSPs and provided the needed support and guidance, tested the samples of the seeds produced by the CBSPs at its Seed laboratory in Gombe.

“Attended the annual Agricultural inputs Fair organized by the Activity to create necessary awareness for the smallholder farmers on the need to plant certified seeds instead of grains.

“All the above have significantly increased the use of certified seeds by smallholder farmers in intervention communities and resulted in an increase in yield and income.

“Scaling up of interventions in seed system development: Recently, our donor (USAID) expanded the scope of the Activity to scale-up interventions in seed system development in the existing states (Borno and Adamawa and expand into Gombe and Yobe states). This will involve supporting 2,250 seed producers to become Community Based Seed Entrepreneurs (CBSE) in the four intervention states and facilitating the formation of these CBSEs into 150 community-based seed enterprises cooperatives.

“In achieving this, the Activity still needs the continuous support of NASC as contained in the MOU that we are signing today.

“I am happy to announce that this is already happening as the activity and NASC Officials are currently organizing training for the selected 2,250 CBSP in improved seed production and marketing techniques across the four intervention states of Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe. Other activities will follow suit,” he explains.

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Agriculture

Group Trains 600 Bauchi Women In Modern Farm Skills

Published

4 weeks ago

January 7, 2025

The Gleamer

By Rakyat Liadi

The Nisa’u Sunnah, a faith-based group, has trained 600 women in modern farming skills in Bauchi State.

Hajiya Rakiya Dabo, the Group Lead, said this at the end of a 3-day training exercise for sustainable agric development on Tuesday in Bauchi.

According to her, the exercise is being conducted in collaboration between the group and Jama’atul Izalatul Bidi’a Waikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS).

She said the training exercise was designed to equip women with the skills to improve farming activities and contribute to the state’s economic growth.

“Women play a vital role in the development of our communities, and it is essential that we provide them with the necessary tools and support to succeed,” she said.

In a presentation, Dr Ibrahim Disina, said Muslim women were the backbone of the society, adding that their contributions to the economy and social development cannot be overstated.
He advised the participants to utilise the skills learnt to improve their talents and economic growth for the benefit of the society.

Prof. Zubairu Madaki, Chairman of the JIBWIS in the state, lauded the gesture, and enjoined the beneficiaries to respect their husbands in line with Islamic perspectives.

“As women, you have a critical role to play in maintaining harmony in the home and promoting peaceful co-existence in the community,” he said.

He also encouraged them to utilise the ideas shared during the training for a better future.
“The knowledge and skills you have acquired are not only for your personal benefit but also for the benefit of your families and communities,” he said.

Aisha Mohammed, one of the participants, lauded the gesture and promised to step down the skills in her community.

“I am grateful for this opportunity, and I’m committed to sharing my newfound skills with other women in my community.”

The participants were drawn from 20 local government areas of the state.

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