Research by IITA and local partners is reducing poverty and improving the livelihood of millions of poor farmers in Nigeria, says Kano State Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, during a Farmer’s Field Day held at the institute’s station in Minjibir on Wednesday, 9 September.
“The fortunes of many of our farmers have improved in terms of increased crop productivity as a result of the operations of IITA,” adds Shekarau.
Represented by the Director of Livestock in the Ministry of Agriculture, Salisu Ibrahim Gakata, the governor said the adoption of improved seeds was important for agricultural development of the state and called on farmers to tap the improved technologies offered by IITA scientists.
He says the government will continue to support the institute towards agricultural development and will promote programmes that will enhance food security and generate wealth.
The Farmers’ Field Day, which was organized by IITA-Kano, attracted experts from different fields of agriculture, policy makers, traditional rulers and farmers. It also provided a platform for exposing cutting edge farming technologies to stakeholders.
Dr. Paula Bramel, DDG R4D, says the institute will continue to research into areas that will bring about development in the local communities in particular and Africa in general. According to her, the Institute will emphase not only on improving productivity but also creating market opportunities through the development of new and better products.
“This means listening to farmers and getting the kinds of constraints they face and how we can improve our research for them to get the greater impact,” she explains.
Dr. Alpha Kamara, IITA Agronomist, says the technologies developed by the institute in the Sudan Savannah are aimed at tackling the challenges faced by farmers which include drought, low soil fertility and Striga. He lauded the adoption of improved varieties and the enthusiasm of farmers in the zone towards agricultural development in Nigeria.
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Pour plus d'informations, veuillez contacter :
Dr. Alpha Kamara, a.kamara@cgiar.org
Agronome
IITA-Kano
Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org
Chargé de la communication d'entreprise (Afrique de l'Ouest)
Jeffrey T. Oliver, o.jeffrey@cgiar.org
Chargé de communication d'entreprise (international)
Bureau de la communication
IITA – Siège
Ibadan, Nigéria
URL : www.iita.org
À propos de l'IITA
L'Afrique est confrontée à des problèmes complexes qui minent l'agriculture et la vie des populations. Nous développons des solutions agricoles avec nos partenaires pour lutter contre la faim et la pauvreté. Nos recherches pour le développement (R4D), maintes fois récompensées, reposent sur une réflexion ciblée et autorisée, ancrée dans les besoins de développement de l'Afrique subsaharienne. Nous travaillons avec des partenaires en Afrique et au-delà pour réduire les risques pour les producteurs et les consommateurs, améliorer la qualité et la productivité des cultures, et générer de la richesse grâce à l'agriculture. L'IITA est une organisation internationale de R4D à but non lucratif créée en 1967, dirigée par un Conseil d'administration et soutenue principalement par le CGIAR.
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