The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and private multinationals in weed control are tying up a model that would tackle the menace of weeds in Africa, thanks to the United State Agency for International Development- MARKETS project.
The public-private sector model seeks to link resource-poor farmers with weed control giants such as Syngenta and Dizengoff, thus guaranteeing the quality of herbicides supplied to farmers. The two companies have agreed to ensure a steady supply of inputs to the farmers at a discounted rate backed by trainings on the safe use of their products. IITA, the provider of the platform, will provide technical backstopping to the model.
“This initiative will not only control weeds but will also create jobs in the rural communities and boost yield,” says Dr. Gbassey Tarawali, Project Manager, IITA-MARKETS Cassava Value Chain Project.
Analysis by the Food and Agriculture Organization on the negative effects of weeds on agriculture indicates that weeds create more havoc to crops than pathogens such as fungi or insects pests. In Africa where access to farm inputs and labor to control weeds are becoming increasingly scarce, many youths are ab andoning farms in rural communities and rather moving to urban areas for white-collar jobs.
Tarawali says the initiative would provide employment for the teeming youths in the rural communities, boost incomes, guarantee food security and make farming more attractive.
About 150 local youths including women representing 15 farmer groups from the south western part of Nigeria have indicated commitment to the program and were engaged in a training workshop at IITA as a prelude to the take off of the initiative.
Syngenta and Dizengoff welcomed the initiative and pledged their support to the scheme.
“We are going to work with you and give you the necessary support. Besides, this shows that agriculture is now being considered as a business and not just for subsistence reasons,” says Mr. Goodluck Ogu, Syngenta’s National Sales Manager.
“Our involvement will guarantee quality supply of herbicides and check profiteering by middlemen.”
Dizengoff described the initiative as a revolution in agriculture.
“It is a dream come true and we will give you all the necessary support,” says the Patrick Ohaji, Manager, Crop Protection and Public Health, Dizengoff.
“Involving the private sector in research especially extension activities is key to boosting agriculture,” he says.
Funded by USAID, the MARKETS project is seeking to increase the productivity of cassava in some selected states in Nigeria through cassava value chain approach.
It is an initiative meant to exp and and sustain the on-farm productivity and profitability of cassava. The training of farmers on efficient weed control practices in cassava production is intended to give them a good underst anding of weeds and the cost-effective ways of controlling them.
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For more information, please contact:
Gbassey Tarawali, g.tarawali@cgiar.org
Project Manager, IITA-MARKETS Cassava Value Chain Project
Jeffrey T. Oliver, o.jeffrey@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (International)
Godwin Atser, g.atser@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (West Africa)
Communication Office IITA – Headquarters Ibadan, Nigeria URL: www.iita.org
About IITA
Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people’s lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the CGIAR.
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