As part of efforts aimed at fostering resilient and sustainable agricultural system in the country, Oxfam in collaboration with other partners have launched the farmers’ field school project to enable local farmers and organisations produce, test and disseminate diverse adaptable seed varieties.
The project is being launched on the ground that free seeds distribution by humanitarian organisations and government have caused market distortions, created dependency among farmers and introduced unsuitable crop varieties
Hence, Oxfam, International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), USAID, Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and other funders have partnered to transform how support is provided for vulnerable smallholder farmers, especially in conflict affected region.
The Country Director of Oxfam in Nigeria, Tijani Ahmed, while speaking in Abuja at a Round table meeting with Humanitarian actors and other relevant stakeholders in seed system/and food security to promote sustainable local seed system, said the project is currently being implemented in Bauchi and Jigawa states.
He said: “In Bauchi and Jigawa states, where this project is being implemented, farmers now have access to five new diverse varieties of millet and sorghum. This success is due to the rigorous testing of 10 different varieties in 20 community farmers’ field school demonstration plots.”
Ahmed noted that the achievements highlight the effectiveness of participatory variety selection, as well as underscore the importance of involving farmers directly in decision making process.
He however, harped on the need for a shift from continuous distribution of free seeds to a more sustainable approach that empowers communities to produce their own seeds.
“Our goal is to establish a resilient and self-sufficient seed system in the project regions. By doing so, we can ensure long-term food security and agricultural sustainability. The support from the National Agricultural Seed Council of Nigeria is crucial to this mission,” he said.
While stressing the need to raise awareness about the benefits of empowering farmers to collaborate with breeders and humanitarian actors, he maintained that the collaborative effort is crucial to strengthening local seed systems and enhancing agricultural resilience.
The Country Representative of ICRISAT noted that the Nigeria seed system is in comatose become of the implementation of fragmented system, in that there is no follow up with new technology for sustainability.
He pointed out that most of the seed system plan is not being sustained, which is why they have introduced the farmers field school as a model of approach such that the farmers are being taught on good agronomy practices and how they can improve their productivity amidst the effect of climate change.
Tijani added that the project comes along with capacity enhancement of developing the right seed that will fit into their environment, adding that seed companies can also leverage on such platform to promote their seeds.