At least 8,950 smallholder farmers in eight Local Government Areas of Benue State have been trained to produce their own manure as part of efforts to cut fertiliser costs and improve soil fertility.
Our correspondent reports that the training was part of an agricultural intervention by the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), supported by The Nippon Foundation (TNF), which has also provided farmers with improved seeds, fertiliser, extension services and training on climate-resilient farming practices.
SAA’s Technical Coordinator, Climate Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems (CRAS), Nathaniel Otene, disclosed this during a media field trip to demonstration farms in Cheedu community, Gwer-East, and Luga, Gboko LGA.
Otene, who represented the Country Director of SAA, Godwin Atser, said farmers were being encouraged to turn animal manure, leaves and crop residues into compost to reduce dependence on synthetic fertilisers.
He said the programme also promoted biochar to improve soil fertility, water retention and nutrient availability, adding that farmers were trained on improved planting techniques, spacing, crop population and other agronomic practices.
The intervention, implemented in collaboration with the Benue State Bureau of Agricultural Development and Mechanization (BENARDA), covers Gwer-East, Gboko, Tarka, Guma, Ushongo, Vandeikya, Buruku and Konshisha LGAs.
According to Otene, the farmers, comprising men, women, youths and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), were organised into groups and trained in the production of soybean, maize, rice and horticultural crops, including onions, tomatoes, amaranthus and pepper.
He said farmers were also encouraged to intercrop maize with soybean and practise crop rotation, noting that soybean could help improve nitrogen levels in the soil.
A beneficiary and chairlady of a farmers’ cooperative society, Patience Kwaghgba, said the training had improved farmers’ knowledge of manure production, fertiliser application, pest control and proper crop management.
Kwaghgba said the intervention had enabled farmers to obtain more crops from smaller areas, adding that it had also changed their perception of farming from subsistence to a business venture.
She said beneficiaries received improved seedlings, USG fertiliser and other inputs, expressing confidence that the knowledge acquired would help sustain production beyond the intervention.
Meanwhile, the programme also has a family economic component, under which 50 women farmers and their spouses were trained on joint household financial decision-making, farm planning and management of farm income.
The project factsheet showed that 8,950 farmers were reached through step-down extension training, while 1,366 farmers were mobilised and sensitised in newly entered communities.
It added that 75 smallholder seed producers participated in the establishment of 1.5 hectares of Community-Based Seed Multiplication plots comprising one hectare of soybean and 0.5 hectares of maize.
The Programme Officer, Inclusive Markets and Agribusiness Development, Jonathan Yassah, said the centre was established to turn cassava production into a profitable business through processing and market linkages.
Yassah said the centre had created employment for eight young people, while demand for its services currently exceeded its processing capacity.
The intervention also promoted technologies including Urea Deep Placement, Integrated Soil Fertility Management and Integrated Pest Management, while 17 Community Savings and Internal Lending Association executives were trained in financial literacy, savings mobilisation, loan administration and record-keeping.