Stakeholders in the agricultural sector have disclosed that Nigeria loses about $362.5m annually due to its inability to export beans in the last eight years.
The stakeholders, who disclosed this at the launch of the Strategic Partnerships for Agroecology and Climate Justice in West Africa (SPAC-West Africa), recently in Abuja, said the launch would enhance agroecological skills of 120,000 Smallholder Women Farmers (SHWF) and Young People in Nigeria.
According to them, it would improve beans farmers’ knowledge of the right application of pesticides on their beans.
The launch of the SPAC-West Africa is a joint collaboration between ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and other stakeholders in the fight against use of dangerous pesticides.
Various agricultural products have been rejected in the EU due to high residue of harmful pesticides.
In a communique after the SPAC-West Africa launch, the stakeholders urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to develop pesticide policies and legislation that would ensure most toxic pesticides are prohibited, and phased out in Nigeria, and a significant shift was made towards sustainable farm systems like agroecology.
“To achieve this, the government needs to develop a safe sustainable food strategy that reduces the use of highly toxic synthetic chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030; 25% by 2040, a maximum of 5% by 2050 and strong support to be given to farmers in their transition towards agroecology.
“The private sector through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) that benefit smallholder farmers especially women and young people should promote agroecology and play a robust role in facilitating market access for agroecologically produced agriculture produce in Nigeria.
“On access to Extension Services, smallholder women farmers have access to only 5.26% farm demonstrations and 19.47% of farmers’ field schools and these areas need massive investments to scale up agroecology,” it said.
It is expected that SPAC-West Africa project will be implemented in Liberia, Nigeria, and Senegal, with regional engagement of stakeholders in partnership with the ECOWAS Commission.
“In Nigeria, the project will improve food and nutrition security and enhance agroecological skills of 120,000 Smallholder Women Farmers (SHWF) and Young People by facilitating access to early maturing seeds, seedlings, livestock, and poultry, thus supporting agroecological practices, indigenous seeds, and agrobiodiversity preservation for increased farm yields.
“Through agroecology budget monitoring, tracking and advocacy towards the expansion of the fiscal spaces, stakeholders will significantly benefit from budget increases and allocations in agriculture. 26 model agroecological farms will also be set up and scaled by SHWF to increase adoption of agroecological practices. This project will be implemented in Ondo, Delta, Ebonyi, Jigawa, the FCT and at the National Level.”
