Three hundred farmers in Imo State have been equipped and trained on how to use technological innovations such as Internet-enabled tools and built-to-assist to cushion the effects of climate change as well as enhance their productivity.
   
The training/workshop held at the University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (UAES), Umuagwo, weekend, is an initiative of Digisol Project in partnership with the European Union and Federal Government.
     
Also, the workshop, which had resource persons and participants drawn from the farmers research communities in the Digisol Project across the country, according to the organisers was a move to digitalise farming system and to empower the farmers to explore the benefits in agro-technologies.
   
Addressing newsmen, the National Project Coordinator of Digisol, Prof. Chris Emenyeonu, emphasised that the workshop, “is designed to engage the youths, stakeholders, ministries and government to drive home the project as well as enable the deployment of developed digital applications to farmers in Imo State and the country at large.”
   
He said, “All of us are aware of the effects of climate change, especially on farmers. So, since climate change has come to stay, the only way out is adaptation. Hence Digisol has developed technologies, applications that will help farmers adapt to climate change. Some will be Internet enabled while others will not be, such as jingles to serve people living in rural areas where there is no network.”

Also, the Project Team Lead, Dr. Chris Adinayo, added that the workshop was aimed at identifying and addressing the challenges of farmers while creating an enabling environment for the competitiveness of local farmers mostly in remote areas by using digital solutions.
   
Adinayo, who said the digital tools would help farmers in their farming activities as well as boost the agricultural sector across the states and country, advised farmers to remain committed and resilient in their practice in face of unfavourable weather and other daunting challenges.
 
“We have different digital solutions for weather parting, soil productivity, among others to help farmers in promoting their marketing and production needs,” he said.
    
Earlier in a welcome address, the UAES Vice Chancellor, Prof. Christopher Eze, disclosed that the workshop captured 300 farmers as first contacts and representatives of various farmers research groups to drive the programme in the state, as was replicated in Ogun and Kwara States earlier.
   
The VC emphasised that the digitisation project is a three-year programme with the first year as the ‘base study’, while other yearly stages follow.
   
Eze equally expressed optimism that farmers in the state would experience relief in the ways of farming as they will get access to innovative technological farming tools, grants and loans to enable them adapt to climate change and enhance their productivity.
   
“We are trying to produce a model technological product, which will be given to farmers that by mere pressing it on, they get to know what their yield would be, what they are going to do to improve harvest and know more digital opportunities available to them. It is a whole package that will help them to tackle the climate change issue,” Eze said.