THlSDAY, Vol. 16. No. 6OlG, FaSt 25
FEATURES
Going Back to Farming for Food Security To clwngf tile hitherto statlls cilia and revitalise the sector, Gcr<Jernor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa /bom State, came up with the idea of making agricu/i-ure more attractive and exciting 10 women and youths. Recently, tlris strategic thought led to tIle establishment ofthe Illtegrated farmers Sclleme (IFS) in the stn teo The scheme is meant to provide employment to lVOl1Jen and idle youths as well as making agricllltllre exciting. Mary- Ekah writes
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he current 81' lbol economic mel tdown may prollC a major bles!inl: to Nigeria . As • prom gate nallon. the compulsory tiJ!htening of our belts may in Ihe lonl! run . chan, e tnc f'C:'Plcs' altitudes nnd ~d i rttl. the ir steps to I more reah"'1: palh 10 nalional gmwth: ~ Since thc a.h enl or l1il. snort l)' after independence, Ni gerians IhTtl as if 'lOthi nl! else mauered CAcept o il and gas, The tr:lgic aspecl " f Ihis over-depentlence is the fact thai the people neil hc r hil\'C Ihe ellpacilY to I.Iclermine the incn:-3SC in the volume or ils do·po$it. nor can they e~n determine its price. The.~ are very de~ pernte da)'s ror Ihe leaders and lhe situa· tion calls ror grerll el kadership ~s po"~ ibiliIY. It is III limes like Ihi5 thai thos~ s Itkllw with lhe I'CSpol'lsibilil Y 10 govern must show chnmcloer and pro vide the nceded di recTion to Ihe path or survh'nl. In Akw; Ibo l\! SInlc . lnc ~v\'ernment il11 d the people a~ nOI ! Ittr,ing , As a 1lIajoJr vi i produci ng Slate in Nigeria. tlte ~ t3te , !lIlS lad ils own share of the l~f~e!'.~ rrom oil and I!as. Yet, tlte shin from the bool\ltlays to Ihese days of uwindling resoun:es meant that the pt'ople mu~t Slart looking inwnrds. Though richl y blessCtI IVith a soil ond climate that can support any crop, lhe focu ~, for y !a1'5 had ne ve r been on agriculture. A ca~ful ! tudy l":yeal5 thnl the ~Iat e 's numrrou~ rh'tr.I, Cl'Ct'ks and stream,; ( :tn support all round liC':tSOn ctlilivation and a \' irile senfootl l'nxIuction, From the rice belts of Ikono. Ini and Onna , throu@h the limbe r aru s of Noon Ebom. \fia-
oyonl. Use Ikot Amama.lhrough the cocoa belts of InLlkono. Ilu , IO the oil raJm fount! allover the slalc. Alewa lborn caD survive and sustain a sound economy that is agricuhunl ly.b.'\sed. In rcccni limes, !here has heen a steady and resol ute imple·
mentation of programlJlcs aimed at reviving the sector. Recently. Govemor Godswill Akpabio released N2billion naira
to empower 4. SOO ~n in the CUfl: an::as of agricu lture. Experts say if all the stala in the fedcnlion exhibit similar commilmenl. Ihe nation would ~ ree~f itself. Besides, Ute direct implication o f empowerment is 1'101 Iosl on the polity. Vel . Akpabiu's (ommitmcnl and dedication to growing the agric sector is nol new, Shortly afier he WIlS swom-in for the first lenure as gm'emor in 2001 , he embarked on inlensive youth empowerment drive Ihrough a.ricu llure, True, (he ~oy+ emmenl or Akpabio has in its cJuulICtenslie WII)' identified agriculture as an areathlt could make Ihe d ifTerellC'e and commenced immediDu~ ACtion, 1l1e government has al ~ realised that the neglecl of Ihis crucial seaor has ensured Ihlt onl)' the old in the Yill:lges still III the subsistent level wilh the farms now people farmin,- , To change the hitherto 51111us quo lind mitaJL~ this sector, Akpabio came "I' wi lh lhe idea of making agriculture more attr:td.ille and excilin! 10 wome n and youlh5, This slTlltelic thought led to the estllblishment of the Jnt~ra.ted Farmrrs Scheme (IFS) and lIery recen tl)" Women In Agriculture: Empowerment Scheme , in the state , In summary, the schemes are me:lOt to provide employment 10 women and unemployed you lhs. e!;pK:111I)' graduates; make agrictl il ure: inteTC:5ting and u ci!ing for Ihe )'oulhs who hnd long lbandoned agriculture 10 Ihe aged in lhe viltllges. They are aimed DI shoring up the states ecollomy as a cushion 10 the dwindling pelro-~~ , Mureover. they are abo largelw at making Ihe slille :\elf· suffic ienl in food prodllCiion as a measure: to ensuring food 5Cctlri+
•y. To undef'K'Ote r:o\'emment intern! in lhe success of the scheme. lhe ~ Ieclion of the participants is pain.~lakin!ly undertaken 10 ensure that onl y lhose suffic-ienlly self motiVilled to ma ke a Ih'ing in the scCior lire selecled. II was devoid of the usual polilical cons id~lions Ihl'l t h;J,\'e mam:d ~ imil:lr inilia· li\'Cs in the pasl, Ime~led ptlrlicipllnts who had obtained the neces~'')' (onns (rtlm their local govemmenl ate:lS an- subject. rolO very \'igorous SC'~ning, to ensure that thcy meet up with the requi~menls merely pelled at lhe school cerlificale level. The ed ucati Ofl nl requireme nt WIS to make su~ Ihat lhose selected can fully undertake Ihe IICCesSliry Irninill g.:ll lind able to appl y Ihe needed modem techniques of farming, So far. more than 3.llOO ~'outh s have. benefi tted from the progr.unme from ACross lhe Sl:lle : while 4 , 500 women would soo n join lhe r.lOb ofll1linedsclf-cmployed fll{l1lers , ' • TIle ltaining illvol\'"ed all a.~ pccl s of agricu lture, Every partieip', nt chooses his are:tS of illte~l. The diffcrent aleas include livestock production, fishery. poultry, r:o., lI)'. piggery. snai l farming . crop production 5uch !IS ca.\,~aY1t , rice. yam, rn.,ill: , pinea pples: cash crop productiOl! in cocoa. palm produce. rubber amongst otheTS, RC5OU~e ~~s are employed from the academia. lhe minislry of al! riculture and Olher e-,perU from
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within and outs ide I\kwlI lbom Stale . During the period of trai nin g , participants are boarded , fed lind paid so me allowance. They are instructed on farm manllgcmcnl , livestock health and animal husbandry. Fi nam;:illl Cl[pcrl.~ on issues of inveslmetll, COS! manlgcment and other moncy and financial malUlgement techniques. also lexh them. Tips on soil lelilure and structure:. seedli ngs. CJt1p Iypes and other ideu thai could lead to better crop yield u well 11$ a [rtt" business plan are made a\'ailnbie to each of lhe participallts. he sllle .go\'Crnmenl. after the training , makes avai lable bet ....'Cen • quarter and half a million nai... soR-loan to each of the participanl\ , The loan wi lh a four-year morn· , torium period is usuall y inle~t -fl'Ct' . To ensure Ihallhe lOin is nOI di\'Crted. the scheme:5' supel'Yiso~ lra\'Cr5C the entire stile checking land and struelurn , wh ic h mUSI be o ..... ned by the participnnts before the)' benenl from the [ollns, ExpeCledl)' , l\kwlI~bom people are exciled 000111 the development. Man), even SlIlIgesl Ihat the nation should borrow the idea from Akpabio and e~pand it for the gener111 good . An expert, Mis.~ Kllte Etiemana. who benefitted from Akpabio's progrnmme and now owns a farm at 'NsukalOl Orret. told THISDAY Ihal the scheme iJ eapllble of mak ing a definite change in the life of the naliOl), She is inlo piU ery and poulII)' on her two acre o f land , Anot her rlU1.ici~nt. Effiong Umore:n. wbose hali more Ihan four aCR 0 land In Itu. cultivates pineapples. He lauded lhe government for the gesture, but lamented the ordeal partici. pants face in the procuremenl of land and urged the government to consider an upward review or the mon~. The e!Tect of this wonderful scheme w ill become lI(lPIrent in a few ~aJlIi. The impact will not onl y be notittd In the avail3bil ity of food 10 feed the increasing POPUllilion, but in the lives of lhe p:nticipants who ha\'e been equipped to make profits and employ other youths in the farms as [arm attendants. sUpCT\'i. SOTS and so on. The inlegrared frumer's 5Cheme and the womc:n agric empowcrment pro,ramlne are: anothcr visionary iniliati\'e of Akpabio to gainfull y enl!agc the ma.'\.SCS oflhe Siale in prodllCti\'e ~ntu l'C5 , The go\'emor hu ~i nce as~u mpl ion of office insisledlhal hili second term would be focused on induslria! growlh. 3grie de~lopment and I!encral empowermt'nt ,-,f the populace. He has Slaried comlllcoonb!y so for. The Spc:lkc-r of Uouse of RepresenlAtive. Alhnj i Aminu Tam btlw31 testified recently when he v i~ ited AkwlI lbom Siale thai Akpabio's bmnd of l eade~hip is unique . producll\'e and impoctfn1! The latesl agric SChel1lC5. it must be noted . are also put in plna: to change the face of revenue resoun:e ba~ of !he Slale , Women and youlh~ h;\'e already jumped :11 the oppurlunity provided by Ihis noble inilialive to make meaning out of their livcs. As mo~ and more lire: engage(! in the progrnmme. agri. C'Ulture: will no longer be regarded M a back ward \'enture 10 be !efl in the hands of poor old fo [k~ in Ihe \'ilbl!cs, The .sec:IOI" will come alive and provide 1111 ahcm.11 l\'C source o f ~~nue 10 Ihe stale . Thai is wha t Ihe Federal Government should also ensure n:u iooalJ v. 15 the- nalion cele· bPl~ " . S l ~' independc~ annivers.,ry.·
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