Food insecurity: PARE train youth in flood-ravaged Bauchi LGAs on dry season farming, others
By Samuel Luka from Bauchi
In order to improve crop production and fight food insecurity, a Non-Governmental organization, Pastoral Resolve (PARE) has trained many youths in flood-ravaged local government areas of Bauchi state on dry season farming and maintenance of water pumping machines.
The Project Manager of the NGO, Mal. Shuaibu Aliyu Kobi who made this known in a press statement yesterday, said the youth were drawn from highly flood-ravaged local governments of Darazo, Shira, Ningi and Gamawa.
Mal. Kobi who noted that the youth farmers were trained in Shira local government area of the state on Wednesday, explained that the trainees were equipped with adequate knowledge of how dry-season farming is done.
According to him, the beneficiaries of the training were also coached on how to apply different categories of fertilizers, importance of soil survey as well as technical know-how on water pumping machine which he said is key to the success of dry-season farming.
The project manager described disasters as an inescapable natural phenomena that when occured, is capable of destroying properties worth millions and even lives.
According to him, this years’ farming season came with strong wind and flood which submerged many farms, damaged crops, thereby leading to great lost to farmers.
Mal. Kobi explained that considering the damage done to farms in the affected LGAs, the Pastoral Resolve (PARE) which is a non-profit organization came-up with a two day training for the youths on dry-season farming. “The method of the training was an interactive one, hence the participants were given chance to freely ask questions on whatever they are not conversant with”, he said.
The project manager pointed out that as a result, the participants at the training were made very active in seeking more knowledge on dry season farming and maintenance of water pumping machines.
He said that both English and Hausa languages were used in training the farmers in order to accommodate those who have gained formal education and those who have not for better and easy understanding.
Mal. Kobi noted that the aim of the training was to make them beneficial members of their various communities by guiding others for bumper dry-season harvest.
The project manager said that the dry-season farming if properly done is going to address food insecurity in the flood ravaged communities.
He said that the initiative will assist farmers whose farmlands were damaged by flood to leverage on the opportunity and recover through the dry-season farming.