AUDA-NEPAD urges farmers to embrace climate-smart agricultural practices

Amidst the negative effects of climate change on food production in Nigeria, the African Union Development Agency and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) Nigeria, has called on rural farmers to embrace climate-smart agricultural practices to improve their yield and ensure food security in the country.

The National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer of AUDA-NEPAD, Princess Gloria Akobundu made the call at a one-week workshop on climate-smart agriculture organized by the agency for farmers in Edo State.

Akobundu who was represented by Mr Zacchaeus Akerejola Maxwell urged farmers to take advantage of the workshop and put to good use the knowledge acquired for their personal, community and national benefit, adding that no nation can develop adequately if her citizens are hungry and poor.

While speaking on the theme; Climate Smart Agriculture and Food Security, one of the guest lecturers from the Department of Agriculture Technology, Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, Dr Olotu Yahaya said considering the impact of climate change on agriculture, there was a need to educate and equip farmers with modern and climate-smart agricultural practices to combat the effects of climate change.

Yahaya demonstrated some simple but practical and cost-effective methods for improving farm produce such as cassava, plantain, maize and other crops commonly produce in the area. He gave assurance that when these methods are properly applied, farmers would witness drastic improvement not only in their yield but also in their income.

While advising the participants to embrace the modern climate-smart agricultural practices, which have been tested and proven to be more result oriented across the world, Dr Yahaya urged them not to stick to some old methods of farming as climate change has altered some of the variables thereby making such practices unproductive.