Three hundred and twenty farmers and 30 schools across the three senatorial districts of Cross River State are to benefit from the Renewed Hope Initiative RHI Agricultural Support Programme in Cross River State.
The wife of the state governor and coordinator of the programme in Cross River State, Bishop Eyoanwan Otu, stated this while briefing the media on the programme implementation in the state in her office in Calabar Wednesday.
She said the programme is targeted to support women and young farmers in four key agriculture-focused initiatives in every state of the federation, including the Cross River Women Agricultural Support Programme (WASP), the Youth Agricultural Support Programme, Every Home a Garden Initiative, and the Young Farmers Club.
The wife of the governor, represented by her Chief Press Secretary, Faith Okon, said the initiative is holistically aimed at fostering sustainable agricultural practices and enhancing food security across the nation and provides each participant with an opportunity to expand their agricultural venture while contributing to local and national food production.
According to her, all the states of the federation have been empowered to train and empower women farmers, support young farmers, encourage garden farms in every home, and revitalise the Young Farmers Clubs.
She said the Women Agricultural Support Programme is aimed at helping women and farmers gain skills and support to impact their farming practices and improve food production and nutrition in Cross River State and the nation by extension.
In Cross River State, she said the programme will cater to 200 women across the state, with at least one woman drawn from each of the wards in the state.
She said these women will be trained according to their preference for crop production, fishery, and poultry farming, adding that each of the beneficiaries will be empowered accordingly.
The state first lady said those who will be trained in fish farming will be empowered with 200 fingerlings, one fiber tank, two bags of feeds and medications, while those for poultry production will go home with 50-day-old chicks, two bags of starter and finisher feeds each and those for crop production will be empowered with improved maize seeds, okra, pumpkin seeds, organic fertiliser, and watering cans.
Otu said the Youth Agricultural Support Programme targeted the youths to teach young farmers better farming practices and skills, including areas like home economics and nutrition and is aimed at encouraging the production and consumption of nutritious foods and promoting food and nutrition security.
In Cross River State, she said the programme will cover the agriculture value chain of the fishery, poultry production, baking and confectionaries, including groundnut extraction for youths in the northern senatorial district, adding that 60 participants will benefit from the programme with at least three drawn from each of the local government areas.
By the end of the programme, she said those trained in the fishery will be empowered with 200 fingerlings, one fibre tank, two bags of feeds and medication, while those for poultry production will go home with 50-day-old chicks, two bags of starter and finisher feeds each and those for baking will be empowered accordingly.
Under Every Home, a Garden Initiative is basically designed to encourage families to produce their own food at home while promoting the consumption of nutritious food to reduce hunger and enhance food and nutrition security.
This idea, she said, is to encourage every Nigerian family to cultivate a garden and share with neighbours and help households to reduce pressure on market demands and increase access to food within homes.
She said the state shall encourage 60 homes across the state, create awareness, and share information about the benefits of having a home garden and how to make it efficient for the participants, adding that after the exercise, each participant will be equipped with improved maize seeds, okra, pumpkin seeds organic fertiliser, water cans, knapsack sprayer, and spade
