Anambra State co-ordinating office of the Federal Government of Nigeria -IFAD VCDP has implored farmers to share knowledge on agronomic practices with their fellow farmers to achieve food security.

The acting State Programme Coordinator of the programme, Dr Deborah Onyefulu, who spoke during a Training of Trainers, Pre-season Workshop and Seasonal Climate Prediction for the 2024 cropping season in Awka, appealed to them to desist from being economical with information.

The workshop, which had in attendance extension agents, liaison officers, lead farmers and rice and cassava processors from the eight participating council areas in Anambra State, featured different paper presentations.

Declaring the training open, Dr. Onyefulu, while restating the commitment of the Federal Government of Nigeria- IFAD VCDP to assisting farmers to arrest the present scarcity and high cost of food items across the country, urged participants to graciously step down the knowledge garnered to achieve the targeted ripple effect.

She charged them to pay attention, learn when, where and how to plant including the distance from each crop and fertilizer application so as to have great yield to “paint” the state with food.

During a lecture on 2024 seasonal climate prediction, the Chairman, World Meteorological Organization, Dr. James Ijamy, disclosed that the predicted annual rainfall in Anambra State for year 2024 is between the range of one thousand eight hundred and ninety-three millimeters to two thousand one hundred and fifty-eight millimeters.

Dr. Ijamy, represented by an officer from the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, NiMet, Mrs. Chizaram Adedoyin, noted that Ayamelum, Anambra East and West Local Government Areas in the northern part of the state are likely to have the lowest range of annual rainfall while Ogbaru, Ihiala, Nnewi South, Aguata and Orumba South in the southern part of the state are anticipated to have the highest annual rainfall of two thousand one hundred and twenty millimeters.

Taking participants on good agronomic practices, and Soil Management for Rice and Cassava field production, a resource person, Mr. Joshua Chinemeze, listed insufficient appropriate technology, biotic factors, poor supply of inputs, low yield and poor milling quality, among others as their constraints.

Speaking, some of the participants, including the Extension Officer for Awka North Local Government Area Mr. Paul Ifezulike, Mr. Obichukwu Nwankwo of Rice Dealers Association Achalla, and Mrs. Ifeoma Nzelu, a Cassava farmer from Ogbaru, enumerated various means of stepping down the knowledge garnered and while applauding the Federal Government of Nigeria-IFAD VCDP for their unalloyed support, especially building their capacities, appealed for more of such capacity building workshops.

The Training climaxed with sharing of experiences by Rice and Cassava off takers.