As part of efforts to boost the cassava value chain, the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) has cleared 50 hectares of land at Ochekwu community in Olamoboro Local Government Area of Kogi to ease the cultivation of cassava by 50 farmers.
The project was executed under IFAD’s Value Chain Development Programme (IFAD-VCDP).
Speaking on Tuesday in Kogi, IFAD officials who visited the farm site said the gesture was IFAD-VCDP’s bid to support small and medium holder farmers to achieve its development objective.
The officials are the National Environmental and Climate Change Advisor, Malam Nura Daura, the National Infrastructure Advisor, Mr Felix Ohibiokpa and the State Programme Coordinator, Dr Stella Adejoh.
Daura said the essence of the project was to achieve the clustering of several farmers’ organisations on a developed land.
He said the project also intended to promote synergy and provide opportunities for clusters of farmers to learn from one another, most especially about good agronomic practices.
In her remarks, Dr Adejoh, said: “service to humanity and fight against poverty remained the best service anyone could render.’’
She described IFAD/VCDP as a programme laden with milk of kindness to reduce poverty and enhance the livelihoods of rural farmers.
She said the land clearing would ease monitoring and data collection on the farmers.
Adejoh added that mechanisation and off-taking would also be easy as the farmers are located within the same environment, and produce the same product – Cassava.