ACTUATE holds Workshop for Small Holders Farmers in Edo

At least 85 per cent of farmers do not use fertiliser and other yield-boosting inputs in Edo State, accounting for low productivity per hectare.

Hence, ACTUATE stakeholder, on Tuesday, urged farmers in the state to make use of organic fertiliser to increase their yield.

The call was made by Prof. Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye, during a stakeholders’ workshop on resource recovery from waste, organised for small-holder farmers by Centre for Global Eco-Innovation, University of Benin, in collaboration with the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and Lancaster University, the United Kingdom (UK).

The workshop, with the theme: “Knowledge Sharing on Issues and Solutions in Anaerobic Digestate as an Alternative to Inorganic Fertiliser,” was sequel to a similar one organised for farmers at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin.

Ezemonye, who was represented by Prof. Christopher Emokaro, said farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa were lagging behind in the areas of training, capacity building and resources.

He advocated the use of organic fertiliser as it is ‘‘cheaper, safer and better than inorganic ones.’’

The workshop featured two presentations from two resource persons and a breakout session. In the first presentation, Mrs Valerie Ifeyinwa Ofili Edosa, a soil scientist and an ACTUATE Team member, reminded participants that the digestate was the remnant of the anaerobic digestion process and that it was so rich in organic matter such that when it was added to the soil, it yielded so much increase.

In the second presentation, Dr. O.R. Dania informed the farmers that the creative management of agricultural waste would not only improve environmental sanitation, but also increase their income.

She explained that different kinds of agricultural, waste which could be converted to wealth to improve farmers’ yield include converting agricultural waste to animal feeds; energy; organic manure, and selling agricultural waste for cash.