Medinah Ayuba-Fagbemi, Country Coordinator, Soil Values Programme Nigeria, left; Joshua Arogunyo, MELS Coordinator, Soil Values Programme and other participants at the Just concluded Two Day Training by the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) through its program Soil Values, (a DGIS funded Programme), for extension agents and lead farmers on soil restoration, conservation techniques, and integrated soil fertility management, in Bauchi at the weekend
The International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC) has trained 50 extension agents and lead farmers in Bauchi state on soil restoration and conservation techniques.
The two-day training, which held on September 11, focused on integrated soil fertility management to help restore degraded lands and boost food production.
A similar exercise was earlier conducted in Kano and Jigawa states.
Speaking at the event, Medinah Ayuba-Fagbemi, country coordinator of Soil Values Programme Nigeria, said the initiative targets the restoration of 800,000 hectares of farmland in northern Nigeria, directly benefitting 600,000 smallholder farmers.
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Ayuba-Fagbemi said the training is part of a €100 million, 10-year Dutch-funded initiative to equip participants with practical skills in soil and water conservation, composting, and Bokashi — a Japanese method that uses microbes to ferment organic waste.
She noted that the extension workers are expected to cascade the training to 20,000 farmers across six LGAs in Bauchi.
“The Soil Values programme aims to improve soil fertility and productivity of two million hectares of agricultural land in the Sahel while strengthening resilience to climate shocks and improving the well-being of 1.5 million farmers, especially women and youth,” she said.
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Joshua Arogunyo, monitoring, evaluation, learning, and sharing coordinator of Soil Values, said the programme will eventually cover 10 northern states where land degradation is most severe.
“Our goal is to reduce the yield gap, improve soil fertility, and raise farmers’ consciousness about giving back to the soil for long-term productivity and food security,” he said.
Some participants, including Aliyu Safiyanu and Helen Ciroma, lauded the training, saying it would improve good agricultural practices (GAP) in the state.
The Soil Values Programme is implemented by IFDC in collaboration with Wageningen University, SNV, AGRA, CIFOR-ICRAF, and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
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