Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has flagged off the distribution of farm inputs to beneficiaries of the 300-hectare pilot farm at Gani-Gaku in Demsa local government area of the state.
Under the initiative, each local government area is to be allocated 300 hectares, which will be divided among farmers, each receiving one hectare for farming. The pilot phase includes Demsa, Ganye, Hong, Maiha, Madagali, and Michika, after which the programme will be expanded to the remaining LGAs.
The distributed inputs include fertiliser, herbicides, seeds, and other essential farming materials.
Addressing the gathering, Governor Fintiri said, “The 300 hectares per LGA pilot scheme is our well-thought-out response to combating food insecurity, which could ravage us if not addressed early. It is a deliberate strategy that combines campaign, visioning, and best practices.
“The campaign entails targeted sensitization for a green life and the need to cultivate at least the minimum each household requires to eat and, perhaps, generate wealth. This vision aims to confer prosperity on every household and the state through a green economy. As a government, we are leading the way by incentivizing farmers through best practices.
“These best practices include our strategy of introducing cluster farming programs, improved seed distribution, and land preparation for expanded farmlands.”
Governor Fintiri also highlighted that since last year, a high-level State Food Security Committee—comprising an inter-ministerial working group and experts—was set up to provide strategic advice.
He said, “This committee has worked with thinking caps, rolled-up sleeves, and boots on the ground to provide the right advisory on making agriculture smart and attractive to our youth and growing population. The cluster farming model is one of the in-house recommendations of this committee.
“This year, we are piloting this model by cultivating 300 hectares with 300 farmers per local government across the six LGAs of Ganye, Demsa, Hong, Michika, Madagali, and Maiha.
These farmers, clustered in one location, will be provided with well-prepared land, improved seeds, other inputs like fertilizer and herbicides, and quality extension services.
“I call this an experimentation. Once we get this pilot right, we hope to scale it up across all 21 local government areas of the state. The cluster farms are meant to serve as both empowerment tools for beneficiaries and demonstration sites for best practices in modern agriculture across various crops.”
In his remarks, the commissioner for Agriculture, Professor David Finchiwa Jatau, said the 300-hectare pilot farm initiative aims to facilitate collaboration among farmers through shared resources.
He added that the initiative would attract production support from various organisations, including structured marketing within defined areas, thereby making pooled resources such as extension services more effective.
In their vote of thanks, some of the beneficiaries, Alhaji Halilu Saidu and Mrs. Mema Fwa, thanked the state government for the initiative and pledged to utilise the opportunity to improve agricultural production.
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