In a bid to enhance food production in Benue State, a non-governmental organisation under the aegis of Women Environmental Programme (WEP) Nigeria, has trained over 100 farmers in the state on ways to use available local materials to make bio fertilizers, pesticides and other organic products.
The deputy director, WEP Nigeria, John Baaki explained that the aim of the training was to help teach farmers especially the vulnerable ones how to use locally sourced materials like neem seeds, local soap, among others to produce organic farm inputs so that they will stop over-dependence on government for farm inputs which hardly come on time.
According to him, the two-day training tagged ‘Actions to Combat Climate Threats in Nigeria’ is part of the projects the organisation was implementing in two communities of Adaka and Apir all in Makurdi local government area with funding from Christian Aid to boost food production in the state.
He said, “due to the impact of climate change across the globe and even in Nigeria and Benue State and how it is affecting livelihoods of people especially the vulnerable populations, WEP Nigeria, funded by Christian Aid has come up with this programme to help the vulnerable population affected by the impact of climate change and adapt to the change.
Describing agriculture as one of the livelihoods that majority of the populations engage in, Baaki stressed the need to support them to be able to adapt especially in the agricultural sector.
Speaking on the category of participants at the training, Baaki explained that they were made up of women, men and youths after which they could extend the knowledge gained to other groups and communities that the project may not be able to reach.
Also interacting with journalists at the end of the training, some of the participants including Mrs Dorcas Kange and Mr Michael Upaa, described the training as highly impactful saying with the knowledge gained, they can put many things they earlier considered as waste to very good use.
Areas in which participants were trained at the event include how to make neem leaves for pesticides/ organic fertilizer, how to make oil from neem seeds and neem cake as fertilizer; conversion of Agro wastes like cow dung, pig wastes, poultry wastes and other biodegradable waste to Biogas and organic fertilizer as well as growing mushroom at home for subsistence and commercial purposes.