The post AfDB, AGRA, PIND drum support for IITA’s BASICS-II project first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

The post AfDB, AGRA, PIND drum support for IITA’s BASICS-II project appeared first on MegaIcon Magazine.

The partnership aims to enable 242,724 young Nigerian women and men to build skills and secure dignified and fulfilling work opportunities in the agrifood value chain over the next 5 years.

Young Africa Works, developed in consultation with young people, policymakers, educators, and entrepreneurs, is Mastercard Foundation’s strategy that will enable 30 million young people in Africa, to access dignified and fulfilling work over the next 10 years. In Nigeria, Young Africa Works aims to see 10 million young Nigerians, the majority young women, in work opportunities by 2030.

“Agriculture is at the heart of Africa’s economic transformation.  It will profoundly define the future of work. Work is all around us especially in agriculture (production, processing, financing, packaging and marketing).  We’re focusing on agriculture in Nigeria because we see these opportunities and we will work with partners like IITA to make them visible to young people,” said Chidinma Lawanson, Nigeria Country Head at Mastercard Foundation.

The  IITA project focuses on building innovative and inclusive agrifood systems for young people between the ages of 15 and 35  and  will  support them to secure employment or self-employment through entrepreneurship across three Nigerian states, Kaduna, Kano, and Lagos, over the next five years.

The project will leverage and scale existing IITA youth initiatives including the Start Them Early Program (STEP). STEP is a mechanism that improves agricultural instruction in secondary schools in a manner that better directs career paths toward modern agriculture and agribusiness. Partnerships with the Commissions of Education in each of the focus states will lead to a massive out-scaling of the STEP program.

In collaboration with the Enterprise Development Centre’s online learning platform, the digital STEP program, delivered through Young Africa Works, is expected to revolutionize agriculture teaching in public institutions of education across Nigeria. The program will also scale access to vocational education for marginalized young people.

The project will be implemented with several partners and the state governments. Youth-sensitive loan and agribusiness support programs will be developed with financial institutions that recognize the specialized needs of young people, especially young women, as agricultural borrowers. The program will aim to reduce the risks associated with young people obtaining credit for agricultural investment purposes.

“Our partners are well positioned to provide the training, placement, and agribusiness support services required in the three target states of Nigeria. This optimal mix of partners will ensure that the project approaches reflect the special attention that the Young Africa Works strategy places on young women.  The project will apply special approaches to empower young women in Northern Nigeria while considering cultural sensitivities,” said Evelyn Ohanwusi, Training Coordinator, Young Africa Works-IITA.

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At the meeting tagged: ‘Presentation of Digital Tools: Disruptive Innovations in Cassava and Maize Farming systems’, the Commissioners for Agriculture in Ondo and Ekiti states, Messrs Adegboyega Adefarati and Folorunso Olabode appreciated the IITA-led African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) project for developing digital solutions to address agricultural challenges in Nigeria.

They noted that the digital tools were apt for the agricultural transformation plans of their governments.

Olabode, the Ekiti State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development stated that the Ekiti State government was already working towards digitization of agriculture and would be among the first to adopt digital extension to promote and strengthen the extension system and improve agriculture in the state.

His Ondo State counterpart, Adefarati said the digital innovations in extension services were coming at the appropriate time and expressed hope that they would be properly integrated into the existing traditional extension system for the benefit of farmers.

In his welcome remarks, IITA Director for Development & Delivery, Dr. Alfred Dixon, called for concerted efforts on the use of digital tools that have been developed by IITA to revive the agricultural extension system.

He said the aim of the meeting was to share knowledge and digital tools developed in the last five years by IITA Cassava Weed Management Project and ACAI and other projects in IITA.

According to Dr Dixon, “deploying the digital tools which include the Six Steps to Cassava Weed Management & Best Planting Practices videos, IITA Herbicides Calculator, Cassava e-market, Akilimo, Cassava Seed Tracker, IITA News App and the 3-2-1 toll free code on airtel mobile line would help in solving farmers’ challenges in cassava production and increase income generation.”

He explained that in the last five years, the IITA Cassava Weed Management Project had developed integrated weed control methods that are helping farmers to double the productivity of cassava and maize. He said the recommendations of the project were being scaled out to farmers through a variety of digital platforms in the framework of the African Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI).

He noted that considering the challenges with traditional extension systems in Nigeria and Africa, the digital tools would enhance efficiency and effectiveness in disseminating knowledge to farmers.

In his presentation, Mr Godwin Atser, IITA Digital Extension & Advisory Services Specialist, stated that IITA’s approach to digitalization in agriculture was to complement the existing extension system and to offer practitioners with tools that would help them do their jobs better.

According to him, ACAI has developed agronomic recommendations in various Nigerian languages into videos, radio programs and the 3-2-1 IVR service on Airtel. He added that while the IITA Herbicide calculator would help farmers avoid herbicide under-dose and overdose, the Cassava e-Market provided a platform for farmers to sell their produce.

Lava Kumar, IITA Head of Germplasm Health Unitwho spoke about the Cassava Seed Tracker said the web-based application aims to bridge the information gap in the agricultural seed sector and connect seed producers to their customers.

Dr Kumar stated: “The National Seed Council of Nigeria has bought into the digital Cassava Seed Trackers based on its numerous benefits and the app now serves as a means of registration for seed producers as well as certification. This will help the seed business that remains untapped as majority of farmers reuse seeds or buy locally.”

Speaking on Akilimo, IITA Systems Agronomist, Stefan Hauser, said the application was developed to deliver tailored agronomy recommendations to cassava growers at their various locations in the country.

“Akilimo will help the farmers make informed decisions on their investments,” he added.

The meeting had in attendance Commissioners of Agriculture, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of Agriculture, Program Managers of Agricultural Development Programs (ADPs), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), IITA Scientists, the academia, agrochemical companies and the media.

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The Ago Owu research station is housed in Ayedade Local Government Area of the state and will primarily serve as a research and training facility that will backstop the state’s agricultural programs and offer training support to the youth in the area in particular and Nigeria in general.

Refreshing your memory, in 2015, the Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola donated a piece of land measuring about 205.5 hectares to IITA as he sought to bring research closer to the people of the state with a view to creating transformational change in the agricultural sector of the state. IITA accepted the offer with the signing of a memorandum of understanding and began investment on the land with the development of roads and other infrastructure.

Remarking, Governor Aregbesola said he was glad the MoU with IITA moved beyond paper to implementation. He commended IITA for its research efforts in the last 50 years, adding that the research facility will advance research in Osun state with a spinoff effect on other parts of the country.

“We believe that this research facility will train and empower our youth in modern agriculture,” he said.

The inauguration of the research facility also allowed researchers to make presentations on new findings from cassava weed management, breeding, banana breeding and multiplication, cassava processing, and aflasafe—a technology for controlling aflatoxins among others. There was a presentation of  improved seeds of maize, cowpea, soybean, yam, plantain seedlings, and cassava stems for onward distribution to farmers in Osun state. IITA also gave the governor some quantities of Purdue Improved Crop Storage bags which provide simple, low-cost method of reducing post-harvest cowpea losses due to insects’ infestations.

The Director General, IITA, Dr Nteranya Sanginga in his own address disclosed that IITA was happy to work with and in Osun state.

“This research facility is part of our strategy to take research closer to the people. Our plan is to make this station a one-stop shop where farmers’ needs will be addressed,” Sanginga said.

Under the refreshed IITA strategy, IITA plans to lift 11 million people out of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by 2020 and to reclaim 7.5 million hectares of degraded land and put the land into sustainable use. Achieving this goal entails IITA expanding its partnership scope and strengthening old partnerships.

Also, Dr Sanginga stressed that the Ago-Owu research facility would primarily conduct research on cassava, maize, yam, soybean, banana/plantain and cowpea. “We will also be using the facility to train Nigerian youths in agribusiness,” he added.

The inauguration of Ago-Owo research station brings to six the number of such facilities in Nigeria. Others are located in Onne (Rivers State), Abuja, Mokwa (Niger state), Minjibir (Kano), and Ikene (Ogun State).

Dr Alfred Dixon, Director for Development and Delivery, IITA, averred that the inauguration of the research facility was a step in the right direction with the potential of bringing many benefits to the people of the state in particular, and the country in general.

He said the research facility would assist the state in accelerating its agricultural reform agenda whose particular focus is on increasing agricultural productivity and job creation.

Established in 1967, IITA is an international agricultural research institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, IITA improves livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity. The Institute operates in Nigeria and 13 research stations/hubs across sub-Saharan Africa.

The post @50, IITA expands research investment, inaugurates 205.5 ha research farm. first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

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