…to educate farmers on how to manage the effect of climate change
The African University of Science and Technology in partnership with the centre for climate change and the Agro Priciso limited Tuesday signed a memorandum of Understanding, MoU.
The MoU seeks to educate farmers on how to manage the effect of climate change.
The MoU was signed at the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja.
The President of the AUST, Prof. Azikiwe Peter Onwualu welcomed the team from the Agro Priciso limited and thanked them for coming up with such a great initiative.
Onwuala said one of the reason for this partnership is to find a way to use the knowledge that is available especially within the knowledge centre to impact farmers and the people in the value chain of agriculture.
“this will help the farmers understand what climate change is, what causes it and even help identify products that the production can cause the issue of climate change”
“This is a way of improving the knowledge of the Nigerian farmers in the area of climate smart agriculture. In other words , agricultural practices that understands climate change and that is able to adapt ”
He further said another reason for this partnership is to make farmers understand why there is climate change and how they can tackle it so as to reduce the effect on their production.
Onwualu said the partnership will be tailored in a way that they at the academia will be teaching the theories while the Agro Priciso will be teaching the practicals to the farmers.
When asked how the program will be funded, the President said, when the resources is available, the program will be funded by them but if not, funds will be sourced for from donor agencies , developmental agencies like the Bank of industry, central bank of Nigeria,.
State governments will be approached for funding , corporate and private agencies will be aoproached for funding he added.
The Managing Director of Preciso, Lawal Nurudeen in his remarks thanked the centre for climate change and the AUST for their commitment towards the program.
Nurudeen recounted the loss farmers incurred in Lokoja where farmers saw all their rice plants lost due to the flooding that occured late last year.
“What really impacted this drive was our experience in the field. We got our fingers burned and we know where it hurts ”
We know where the farmers are feeling the heat. Just recently we cultivated about 35 acres of rice in Kogi and as I speak we could not harvest even a bowl of rice because of the climate shock. What it means is that went into that farm has gone down the drain’
He said he wants to make sure farmers dont have to pass through such experience and believes that with this partnership, it is achievable.
He said the man power and experience and at the long run,the farmers and the nation will benefit, he added.
Others present at the ceremony was the Centre leader, Centre for climate change , Mr chidiebube Uzogba , Cordinator short courses, Pricilia Onuoha, Director of Finance, Ben Okonkwo.
