No fewer than 1,050 small holder farmers have bee trained and empowered with free solar powered irrigation panels in the North-East region by five international and local NGOs.
The empowerment programme was executed by Feed the Future in collaboration with USAID and International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFADC) Nigeria.
The other partners are Save the Children and Mercy Corps, while the project is being implemented in Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe States.
Mr Yusuf Dramani, IFDC’s County Director, disclosed this at the inauguration ceremony and distribution of the solar powered systems in Yola on Monday.
Dramani said the common goal of the project is to improve agriculture and food security in the region.
According to him, IFDC in collaboration with the Adamawa Government are working on climate adapted seeds through technology enable solutions to address flood and drought.
He added that the effort is to efficiently drive the war against climate change in the region.
Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa commended the development partners and tasked them on the fight against climate change, urging them to take bold steps towards strengthening vulnerable groups affected by insurgency in the North-East region.
Fintiri, represented by his Deputy, Prof. Kaletapwa Farauta, called on farmers and herders to avoid clashes, especially during harvest season and beyond.
He warned that henceforth government would not condone farmer-herder conflict to achieve food security and sufficiency.
Fintiri also cautioned farmers against hasty sale of farm produce, especially on farm.
Prof. David Jatau, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, reiterated government support to improving food security in Adamawa.
He advised the beneficiaries to take advantage of the system provided for them and improve their productivity toward ensuring food security in the state and country at large.
Mr Joseph Mamman, who spoke for the beneficiaries, said the training has availed them technique from subsistence farming to mechanised farming.
According to him, the tools will help them to improve their productivity in the year round.
