A non-governmental organisation, Good for Africa, recently empowered small-scale farmers in Ido local government area of Oyo State.
The outreach, which is the foundation’s maiden edition, had crop and livestock farmers as well as food traders in neighbourhood markets as beneficiaries, where food items, farm inputs and free medical checkups and drugs were provided.
Speaking with journalists at the empowerment programme, the founder, Good for Africa, Charlotte Iyiola, expressed the organisation’s commitment to achieving zero hunger by promoting food security, fighting hunger, and reducing post-harvest losses in Nigeria and Africa at large.
According to her, “Our goal is to provide sustainable support to farmers through enabling them to improve their productivity and livelihoods, thereby contributing to a world where no one goes hungry.”
While assuring of the foundation’s plan to grant or offer zero-interest loans, advanced farming tools and techniques, continuous training programmes to farmers, she, therefore, urged the Nigerian government to invest in agricultural infrastructure and support small-scale farmers with subsidies and access to affordable inputs, as well as to implement policies that will encourage sustainable farming practices and reduce bureaucratic hurdles.
“We aim to create a robust network of resources and support systems that will help smallholder farmers increase their yield and reduce post-harvest losses,” she added.
The medical personnel, Dr Christiana Iyiola, advised the farmers to pay attention to personal hygiene while on the farm and even when engaging in other activities to prevent diseases.
A beneficiary, Kareem Adesanya, who expressed gratitude to the foundation of behalf of the farmers, called for more support from non-profit organisations and government for small-scale farmers to tackle the food inflation and insecurity experienced by farmers across the country.
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