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Mechanised farming will boost agricultural production--- Nanono

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The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono, said that mechanized farming would boost agricultural production and create more jobs for Nigerian Youths. Nanono made this disclosure during a town hall meeting with the All Farmers Associations of Nigeria (AFAN) and other relevant stakeholders in Kano weekend. Alhaji Sabo Nanono noted that the introduction of mechanized farming was necessary in order to shift from the traditional system of farming and embrace modern technology, enhance self-reliance and boost food production in the country He appealed that Nigerians should support the Present Administration In its Commitment to Position the Agricultural Sector to attain economic growth and food security. “We need to give the Government the necessary support and cooperation to enable it to achieve success in terms of food security, job creation and increased Internally Generated Revenue “. The Minister challenged the farmers to rise up t

Agri-tech can turn African Savannah into global food basket – African Development Bank

Agri-tech can turn African Savannah into global food basket – African Development Bank Des Moines, Iowa, 24 October 2018 – The African Development Bank is championing a new regional and global effort to transform the African Savannah from a “Sleeping Giant” to the cradle of the continent’s green revolution. “This sleeping giant needs to wake up,” the Bank’s Vice-President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Jennifer Blanke, told an audience at a 2018 World Food Prize side event in Des Moines, Iowa last week. Blanke described Africa’s nearly 400 million hectares of Savannah zones as “the world’s largest agricultural frontier,” and if a small fraction of that cultivatable land – some 16 million hectares - is transformed, it could well set Africa up to decrease dependence on food imports, feed itself and contribute to feeding the world. Africa is host to 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, but currently spends an estimated US$35 billion per year

North East: IITA and AfDB to help Taraba transform cassava in the framework of TAAT

North East: IITA and AfDB to help Taraba transform cassava in the framework of TAAT …Trains 60 extension agents The international Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) says it plans to work closely with the Taraba State Government to transform cassava in the framework of the African Development Bank-funded Technologies for African Agriculture Transformation (TAAT) program. The decision is part of a two-day visit to Taraba state, which ended today and witnessed the inauguration of the Cassava Compact—a component of the TAAT,  training of extension agents, and sites selection and validation for the establishment of cassava demonstration plots. Dr Nteranya Sanginga, IITA Director General, said the inauguration of the Cassava Compact of the TAAT in Taraba would open the door for the scaling of new innovations to cassava growers to the state and north east region of Nigeria. Dr Sanginga, who was represented by Godwin Atser, IITA Communication & Knowledge Exchange Expe

AfDB invests $24b in African agriculture

AfDB invests $24b in African agriculture The African Development Bank (AfDB) will be investing $24 billion in the African agriculture over the next 10 years to lift one billion people out of hunger globally. Dr Akinwumi Adesina, AfDB President, who disclosed this on Wednesday at an agriculture conference at Purdue University, Indianapolis, challenged global partners to join hands to lift one billion people worldwide out of hunger. The report, which was released to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, described the fund as the largest of such effort ever. The bank’s president stressed that all must come together to fight the war. He noted that the recent five UN agencies’ World Food Security and Nutrition statistics showed a decline in the global population living on less than two dollars per day. Adesina, however, said that the statistics, in reality, showed that the number of hungry people in the world had increased from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016.

African Union endorses African Leaders for Nutrition Initiative

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“Stunted children today will lead to stunted economies tomorrow” – Adesina African Union endorses African Leaders for Nutrition Initiative By Jimoh Babatunde The President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, has said that stunted children today will lead to stunted economies tomorrow, adding that the impact of stunting is irreversible but preventable. He spoke yesterday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as African leaders made a landmark commitment to remove nutrition-related barriers that prevent children and societies from realising their full potential. The leaders made the commitments at the launch of African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) − an initiative championed by the African Development Bank and the African Union Commission – in Addis Ababa, where they agreed to jointly overcome malnutrition and elevate nutrition as the driver for economic growth and sustainable development. Adesina said poor nutrition is responsible for stunting children’s

KANO STATE GOVT TO PARTNER WITH FG IN THE ‘LIFE’ INITIATIVE PROGRAMME

As part of the efforts of the present administration to boost food production, reduce youth unemployment and empower rural farmers especially women in agriculture, the Kano State Government is to partner with the Federal Government on the newly developed initiative of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development known as the “Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise (LIFE) program. This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources Kano state, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna when the advocacy team of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development headed by Mrs. Karima Ibrahim Babangida paid him a courtesy call in his office recently. Dr. Nasiru said that Kano state government will always be in the front line on programmes and projects initiated by the federal ministry of Agriculture to eradicate poverty, reduce youth unemployment and empower rural farmers. He further urged the ministry to involve Ministry of Agriculture Kano state in

IITA, AFDB, others partner to revitalise agriculture in Africa

The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), AfDB and other stakeholders on Monday in Ibadan inaugurated a programme, Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT), to revitalise agriculture in Africa. Speaking during the inauguration, Dr Jonas Chianu, AFDB Agricultural Economist and TAAT Programme Manager, said that the multi-year multi-partner TAAT programme was funded by the African Development Bank (AFDB). He said it was conceptualised based on ‘Africa Feeding African’ core priority of AFDB and aligned with the bank’s 10-year strategy (2013 to 2022) for inclusive and green growth in the continent. Chianu said that the programme was aimed at revitalising Africa’s agriculture and was conceived at a high-level conference on African agricultural transformation attended by experts in agriculture, the academia, and other stakeholders in Dakar in 2015. “TAAT heralds a new dawn in African agricultural transformation because of its key bene