By Maureen Nwine and Samuel Igbavboa
In recent times, the call to ensure food sufficiency and put to an end the high cost of living has been deafening.
The Western world has long achieved this feat that appears to be a herculean task for the Nigerian State.
Several administrations have continually strived to increase farmers’ productivity and reduce Edo State’s dependence on outsourced food items to its barest minimum.
Governor Godwin Obaseki’s resolve to ensure that Edo citizens have abundance of food all year round will see the State taking its place as a pace setter in the agriculture sector as it did in the pre-oil boom era.
Although reviving agriculture has become a recurring decimal in Nigeria’s political space and among various stakeholders and NGOs; it is still bedeviled with several challenges highlighted by the inability to farm all year round as done in the Western world and in Asia. This, the Edo State Government has decided to mitigate.
It is commendable that the Edo State Government places food security and abundance as a priority which motivated it to meet up with all requirements by the Rural Electrification Agency in order to attract the distribution of Solar-powered water pumps and more farm assets to Edo State farmers across the three senatorial districts in the State.
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) in a bid to tackle and resolve the issue of drought militating against all year agricultural outputs in the country collaborated with the Edo State FADAMA III Project in the distribution of fifty-three (53) Solar-powered Irrigation Pumps to farmers across the three senatorial districts of the state which according to the Programs Manager, Edo ADP, Edward Izevbigie, will overtime “phase out the use of diesel and fuel generators that have adverse effect on the environment through irrigation practices in the State”.
The introduction of the Solar-powered Irrigation Water Pumps in farming is a welcomed development. This will help project Edo State to the international community in light of the worsening climate situation, that the State is geared toward SMART FARMING, to help boost year-round agricultural output.
To buttress this fact, the Edo State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Stephen Idehenre, during the equipment distribution, said that “it is the Edo State Government’s desire to ensure round the year food production, hence, the need for the Solar-powered Irrigation Pumps that will help improve production geared towards smart farming and food availability”.
It is worthy of note that a committee or a body would be set up to monitor the effective use of the implements in order to forestall challenges and record success. This move, if implemented, will not only boost the effective use of the solar pumps but will also ease the burden of irrigation practices, increase production and in turn make agricultural products readily available all year round.
Reducing the irrigation burden on farmers to ensure year-round availability and affordability of food is by no means a mean feat just as the State Government is currently developing over one thousand and fifty hectares of land in Ozalla, Eme-Ora, Agbede, Ugomoson, Udo, Evbonogbon and Usen all in the bid to boost food abundance. Likewise, the thousands of hectares of land currently undergoing development for oil palm farming at Evboesi in Orhionmwon Local Government Area in the State.
The need to adopt modern and international best practices in agriculture is long overdue in Edo State in its drive towards a sustainable diversified economy for food sufficiency. Farmers and youths that make up a large percentage of Nigeria and Edo State’s population, will be encouraged to see the never-ending opportunities and benefits derivable from agriculture.
