UN launches 2016 International Year of Pulses, celebrating benefits of legumes

Pulses are an affordable alternative to more expensive animal-based protein, which makes them ideal for enhancing diets in poorer parts of the world. Photo: FAO/Giuseppe Bizzarri

10 November 2015 – Under the slogan ‘nutritious seeds for a sustainable future,’ the United Nations, led by its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), launched the 2016 International Year of Pulses to raise awareness about the protein power and health benefits of all kinds of dried beans and peas, boost their production and trade, and encourage new and smarter uses throughout the food chain.

“Pulses are important food crops for the food security of large proportions of populations, particularly in Latin America, Africa and Asia, where pulses are part of traditional diets and often grown by small farmers,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, in a news release.

“They have been an essential part of the human diet for centuries,” he added, “Yet, their nutritional value is not generally recognized and is frequently under-appreciated.”

According to FAO, pulses, including all kinds of dried beans and peas, are not merely cheap and delicious; they are also highly nutritious source of protein and vital micronutrients that can greatly benefit people’s health and livelihoods, particularly in developing countries.

There are hundreds of varieties of pulses grown throughout the world. Popular ones include all varieties of dried beans, such as kidney beans, lima beans, butter beans and broad beans. But also chickpeas, cowpeas, black-eyed peas and pigeon peas.

Speaking about their nutritional value, the FAO chief said that pulses have double the proteins found in wheat and triple the amount found in rice. They are also rich in micronutrients, amino acids and b-vitamins; Mr. Graziani da Silva underlined, and added that they are vital parts of a healthy diet.

Further, the agency credited pulses as the key ingredients in many signature regional and national dishes across the world – from falafel to dahl to chilli and baked beans.

FAO also added that as an affordable alternative to more expensive animal-based protein, pulses are ideal for improving diets in poorer parts of the world, where protein sources from milk if often five time more expensive than protein sourced from pulses.

Pulses also offer a great potential to lift farmers out of rural poverty, as they can yield two to three time higher prices than cereals, and their processing provides additional economic opportunities, especially for women.

Following his address, Mr. Graziano da Silva planted a number of fava beans in a planter full of soil as he proclaimed the International Year opened.

“The International Year 2016 is a great opportunity to raise awareness of the benefits of pulses as the world embarks on efforts to achieve the newly adopted Sustainable Development Goals,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a message on the occasion.

Mr. Ban added that pluses contribute significantly in addressing hunger, food security, malnutrition, environmental challenges and human health and also are a vital source of plant-based proteins and amino acids.

“Despite strong evidence of the health and nutritional benefits of pulses, their consumption of pulses remains low in many developing and developed countries. The International Year can help overcome this lack of knowledge,” said Mr. Ban.

Further, he also said that pulses impact the environment positively due to their nitrogen-fixing properties, which increase soil fertility.

“Much work needs to be done to end hunger and provide food security and nutrition for all. One concrete, promising opportunity lies with pulses. Let us join forces to raise awareness of the benefits of pulses,” said the Secretary-General.

The UN chief also called for collaborative commitment and concrete action by all relevant actors within the UN system, farmers’ organizations, civil society and the private sector, to make the International Year of Pulses 2016 a success.

Source: UN.ORG

Agripreneur Shows How Bell Apple Farming Generates Wealth

Multi-Million, Low Gestation Business Beckons
BELL Apple. Here comes another species, which happens to grow quite well in the humid tropical climate as we have in parts of Nigeria, different from that in the Mediterranean type that favours the ‘usual’ apple.

It is now grown locally, with huge potential of ringing the sound of money for persevering and focused perennial crop farmers, who could plug into more than two streams of harvest every year. Farmers, who plan to locate in places like the South South states of Edo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa Rivers and Cross River among others are assured of optimum growing conditions.

Only last week, pioneer Bell Apple farmer and Apple Wealth Ventures chief executive, Gbenga Akinyemi did some harvest from his Mowe area vineyard, also a confirmation that farmers in that part of the country could utilize the soil, informed that another major harvest would come mid-December. As planned, part of the market that benefitted from the sales and nutritional benefits were some of the participants of the regular Holy Ghost service of a leading church that holds in that part of Ogun State.
Economic prospect

At selling price of N50 for small, N100 big and N150 extra-large, Akinyemi said one phase of harvest from a single tree that produces as much as a thousand apples could rake in rewarding income.
Extrapolating from averages of N100 per apple per tree of 500 fruits, two harvest streams from 160 trees (in an acre of farmland) would come to an income of N8million per year.

But the crop production graduate of Federal College of Agriculture, Akure, Ondo State said a tree could yield as much as 1,000 apples per harvest and has a possibility of four harvest times in a year.

In addition, making money from Bell Apple, according to him, starts from the nursery, where the seed could be obtained at N100 each and the nurtured seedlings attract about N650 per stand.
The Beginning

Taking on the business of Bell Apple for Akinyemi was like fate waiting in the wings; more of miracle in the house. A Bell apple tree was planted by a family member in the compound in Lagos, where they lived, but it did not register as something significant, until much later.

Rather than plant his own at the time, he engaged the business from the market end of it, selling the ripe fruits to make money for himself, he recounted. Today, however, he has put together the entire value chain of the crop and for more than seven years now, it has become a platform not only to grow more and make money, but also train others.

Comparatively, he revealed that the Bell Apple tree is bigger than local apple, but nutritionally, it is not inferior to the imported one. He added that its medicinal value is well established in the annals of scientific researches aside its alluring attractiveness.

A fallout of Bell Apple value chain is the planting material resource and human capital development in which he has been engaged. Not only does he supply seedlings and seed, potential farmers and interested individuals receive hands-on training and technical advice as they plan to start up.

Part of the pioneering effort is to popularise the produce. Akinyemi found that demand is increasing and not being able to meet up; he has continued to expand and encourage more people into the trade.

According to him, income comes from selling seeds, bell apple seedling raised from the nursery and mature and ripen apples. Carving a niche in raising and selling seedlings only have the capacity of very good return on investment in a few months, he said.

Akinyemi, a former Science teacher at a school in Isolo, Lagos said one should show deep interest and be trained to understand the business and make the most of it.
Start-up

A N20,000 start-up seed, he says can launch one into the Bell apple seedling production side of the farm business. In this small-scale level, N10,000 could be invested in purchasing 100 seeds at the cost of N100 per seed for planting in the nursery. The balance N10,000 will be deployed to secure containers or nursery poly bags and other incidental expenses while germinating the seeds. Though, starting with less than the initial capital is possible, bringing the seedlings to 100 would make better economic sense at the end of the day, he stated.

In about two months, the seeds are well on their way being raised as seedlings and returns from sales would show the profitability even at this level.
He advised that good seeds can be procured from agricultural institutes or those who have already started producing or known companies with track record of seed production.
“Your major cost of running the bell apple seedling business is the cost of purchasing the seeds and containers, among other little things, such as watering can.
“Bell apple seedlings are ready for sale after 10 weeks of planting and can be sold for N750 each. The profit margin is quite outstanding, considering the total investment up till this point. If you increase the number of seeds planted, the income generated will be more, even within the 10 weeks period,” he said.

However, he quickly adds that for the main growing of the bell apple tree, at least there is a three-year period for the seed to grow to a tree and begin to produce fruits. About 1,000 fruits per harvest per tree and a minimum of two harvests in a year are expected.
Marketing

The demand is on the increase, hence the need for more investors and farmers to plant millions of seeds. The apple could be processed for its juice, turned to jam, marmalade and other processed variants, aside the consumption as fresh fruit.
There is a ready-made market for bell apple seedlings, as there are a few bell apple trees in Nigeria, at present, and there are high demands for the seedlings by big agricultural firms and fruit processors.

In breaking down the entire business in summary, Bell Apple farming investment layout is as follows:
seedling production : seed is N100 each; Duration: two and half months at the minimum, especially the nursery stage for which there is training.

plantation/farm, using an acre, which is equivalent to six plots of land would require 160 seedlings per acre. At 5m x 5m spacing, the planting material would cost about N150,000. This would require close consultation at least for a year as part of nurturing the plants during the three-year gestation period.

After a period of three years, the time for flowering and fruiting commences, which would be the start of two harvests per tree per annum. Harvests of four times a year, not more than that, have been recorded.

On the challenges facing producers like preservation of fresh apples and seeds, Akinyemi called for special grants and funding to do more research in the relatively new area, and procure processing equipment to reduce waste. Pioneering, ha said requires a lot of support and encouragement especially, a job opportunity creator like Bell Apple.

Credit: ngrguardiannews

This 25 years old lady's multi-million naira farm has got everyone talking

Meet Nakku Justine a 25 years old who is living a multi-million life out of farming. She is young, darling and sexy. She does diary farming, cabbage, cereals, carrots and poultry keeping on a 6 acres piece of land. Farming is her business and she’s looking for a farm manager.

Credit: Nigeriacamera

7 trends likely to shape African agriculture in the coming years By Femi Adewunmi

In a recent research report, titled African Agriculture: This other Eden, Renaissance Capital identified a number of factors that are likely to influence African agriculture in the years ahead. A summary below: 

1. Increasing demand from China

China’s meat consumption has increased significantly over the past decades. In 2001, the average Chinese consumed around 43 kg of meat every year. Over the following ten years, annual per capita consumption rose to approximately 54 kg, a 22% increase. More meat consumption has led to a rising demand for soya beans – a popular source of feed for livestock.

China, however, cannot supply its own need for soya beans. In 2001, the country produced 15.4 million tonnes of soya beans. This year production is expected to be about 14 million tonnes. Although Chinese soya bean production has decreased, domestic consumption has skyrocketed from 28.3 million tonnes in 2001 to 71.6 million tonnes in 2011. This higher demand has been met through imports.

In addition to soya beans, China’s ability to be self-sufficient in the production of other crops is also likely to be reversed in a dramatic fashion over the next few years. Renaissance says that the same situation as what happened with soya beans could play itself out in other grains, such as maize, wheat and rice. The past two years has seen a minimal increase in the harvested area for wheat and rice, while yields for all three grains have also only seen a marginal improvement. Rising urbanisation is putting increasing pressure on farmland.

It is not only China that will import more grains. Similar dietary changes are underway in a number of other emerging economies. As demand rises, internal constraints in a number of geographies are becoming apparent. Renaissance says this is a good opportunity for Africa, which has significant farming potential, to increase its exports of agricultural commodities such as maize, palm oil and other crops.

2. Food security

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) believes that 70 million hectares of additional farmland is required to feed the world’s 9 billion people by 2050. The Americas could most likely fulfil this need alone with Canada, the US, Brazil and Argentina providing the bulk of additional supply.

However, the issue of food security is not only about basic needs and how to fulfil those needs – it is also about the risks attached to achieving it. In common with the oil & gas industry, there comes a point where an over-reliance on too few suppliers for a country’s energy needs makes it hunt out alternative sources of energy. A similar need to diversify supply will likely arise in agriculture, and this represents a major opportunity for Africa to provide the world with food security.

3. Resource nationalism

Although resource nationalism is often associated with the extractive industries, Renaissance expects the issue to also come to the fore in African agriculture. Resource nationalism is not always entirely driven by anti-foreign sentiment. High prices help, too. The electoral success of Evo Morales in Bolivia, Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and the recently elected Sata government in Zambia might never have materialised had it not been for the prevailing high prices of oil, gas and copper over the past decade.

High prices for agricultural goods, the need to secure alternative food supplies and the sensitivities of access to and ownership of land, all suggest resource nationalism in agriculture is likely to become a more prominent theme in the years ahead.

4. Will urbanisation lead to farm mechanisation?

It estimated that 60% (currently 40%) of the continent’s population will live in cities by 2050. As more and more workers flood into urban environments and readily available pool of cheap workers disappear from the countryside, farmers are forced into a straightforward labour-capital shift. In short, farms must mechanise if they are to maintain their competitive position.

Smallholder farmers, too, must make a decision: if they dedicate their supply of labour to generating urban-derived income, what do they do with their land? Another way to look at this conundrum takes the form of a question: is the rise of the superfarm inevitable?

5. Superfarms

The rise of the superfarm is a relatively modern phenomenon. There are possibly fewer than 100 industrial groups that own, lease or operate farms of over 100,000 ha.

Do economies of scale exist in agriculture? The purchasing power on inputs or selling power on output that comes with a 100,000 ha farm is likely to be no greater than a 1,000 ha farm. This is accentuated by two factors: first, managing 100,000 ha under a single corporate umbrella is more likely to result in managerial dis-economies of scale; and second: 100 farmers managing 1,000 ha plots each can easily form a co-operative, which will provide them with all the purchasing benefits of the superfarm and none of the dis-economies of scale. However, many superfarms exist because they act as channels for investment capital. In short, while managerial or operating economies of scale might not exist, financial economies do.

Ultimately, the debate over superfarms comes down to money. How does one create a conduit for capital for investment in agriculture? Can smallholders provide that conduit? If so, it would be reasonable to assume they had a future in this most strategic of industries. However, the volatility of food prices, the rapid urbanisation that characterises large parts of our planet, the relative undercapitalisation of the sector and the sheer variability of the agricultural labour force in its current form, all suggest that in creating those conduits for capital, superfarms are likely to play a hugely important role in attracting investment to the sector.

6. Sustainability

One of the overriding issues for humanity is that every civilisation with an urban heartland has been built upon the availability of food and water. In fact, it is the existence of those food and water resources, which has allowed urban societies to flourish. However, over time, every single one of those civilisations, societies and states has collapsed because its depleted and exhausted hinterlands could not supply its cities with their food and water needs.

The collapse of food-supply systems that support urban societies has been a permanent issue since urban centres were founded. Renaissance anticipates a great deal of new thinking on sustainability in agriculture, and expects Africa to lead much of that new thinking.

7. The future of aid

African food aid will likely be transformed, too. Renaissance says that many aid agencies operating on the continent are setting agendas that hamper commercial development. The idea that some aid agencies are seeking to transform themselves into commercial enterprises highlights the new thinking that abounds in Africa. Traditional methods of delivering aid are likely to become redundant in the decades ahead.

2016 Youth Agricultural, Leadership and Entrepreneurship Summit on Innovation (YALESI 2016), Dakar Senegal

Youth employment and hunger are two key issues that have been impacted by the economic crisis. This is particularly true for youth living in developing countries, representing 85% of the world youth. In an attempt to address these issues, the Global Youth Innovation Network, GYIN, has initiated its second Global Youth Summit called the 2016 Youth Agribusiness, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship Summit on Innovation (YALESI 2016).

The summit will prioritise young people’s needs, considering their developmental needs, and including underserved populations, such as girls, to an effective and inclusive employment strategy.

The summit, representing over 100 countries, will give its participants the tools to learn and share how young women and men, especially in rural areas, are increasingly acquiring new capacities and developing innovative solutions to transform themselves as Hunger Fighters, Job Creators, Innovators, and Change Agents. Youth participants and partner organizations will present proven innovative agribusiness and entrepreneurship practices by sharing their knowledge, expertise, challenges and success stories.

Application Process

• To be able to please make sure to upload a business plan idea. The plan is importation for you to be able to get selected to participate
• Please make sure to state the type of youth you would like to represent: hunger fighters, entrepreneurs, community leaders, innovators, volunteers. We will get back to you once the youth has been selected

Click here to apply

Agric Minister Extols Virtues Of Predecessor

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, has commended his predecessor, Dr Akinwumi Adesina for his revolutionary strides.

Ogbe who made the commendation during the flag-off of the second phase of Agricultural Equipment Hiring Enterprise in Ilorin, Kwara State recently said the event demonstrated the readiness of the present administration to deepen and widen the efforts required to support Nigerian farmers to be engaged in agriculture.
He said the event was also intended to make farmers earn a decent livelihood because no country can practice agriculture sustainably without agricultural mechanization.
Ogbeh maintained that agriculture remained the bedrock of the country’s economy.
In the release that was obtained by The Tide in Port Harcourt recently, the Agric Minister revealed that Nigeria is blessed with a total agricultural land which is 79 per cent of the total land mass of approximately 92    Sq. Kilometers.
He explained that Adesina who is now the president of The African Development Bank (AfDB) did  a lot to reposition the sector to the level that has so far been attained after 30 years of neglect.
Ogbeh expressed regret that agriculture in general, and farming have been seen to be synonymous with poverty as it is dominantly practiced at the rural areas.
To bring the needed change, he said, government would focus attention and energy on developing and creating enabling environment for the rural areas to grow.
“We must make sure that the nature of the new growth in Nigeria is one that is inclusive and opens up the rural economy” he said.
He explained that it would be unthinkable and counter productive to think of developing agriculture in Nigeria by continuing to distribute hoes, machetes, axes and ordinary low yielding seeds to farmers.
“Capitalism puts wealth in the hands of the drivers but the time to democratise capitalism especially in Nigeria agric sector is now” he said.

Credit: The Tide News

Boosting food production in Nigeria

Unarguably, the development of a strategic action plan for agricultural sector -Agricultural Transformation Agenda – remains one of the efforts of the Federal Government at boosting food production in Nigeria.

Developed by former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the programme recognises the need to target areas that have potential for increased agricultural activities to boost food production.

One of the outstanding components of the programmes is Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GES) aimed at eradicating corruption in the fertiliser sector by eliminating the middlemen in the sector.

Supported by Electronic Wallet System, GES allows smallholder farmers to receive electronic vouchers for subsidised seeds and fertilisers directly on their mobile phones and enable them to pay for farm inputs from private dealers.

This initiative notwithstanding, President Muhammadu Buhari recently observed that Nigeria had great potential for expanding food production but the agricultural sector faced numerous challenges.

He noted that the challenges included low yield growth of major food and cash crops and land degradation.

He also said inadequate infrastructure such as electricity, roads, scarcity of required farm inputs, storage and need for productive and profitable agricultural business, among others, were parts of impediments to adequate food production.

He assured Nigerians that his administration would focus on enhancing the sector through sustainable programmes to enable farmers to acquire necessary farm inputs.

He promised to ensure sustainable supply of fertilisers, farm chemicals, storage facilities, tractors and other modern farming tools and technologies, including irrigation, high yield seeds and access to funds.

Further to the promise, Buhari visited Kebbi last November to inaugurate N20 billion Anchor Borrowers’ Programme – a financial window set aside by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for rice farmers across the country.

At the inauguration, the President said: “Prior to the advent of oil, our country survived on agricultural production with huge economic potential from our palm oil, groundnut, cotton, and rubber plantations.

“During this period, the economies of our sub-region were built on agricultural activities and our Gross Domestic Product grew steadily.

“Our first generation state-sponsored banks and investment companies were financed with incomes from farming surpluses.

“The discovery of oil was expected to complement our agricultural productivity but we allowed oil to almost completely replace it.

“Current trends in the international oil market has brought to fore the urgent need to diversify both the productive and revenue base of our economy and conserve our foreign reserve by limiting our appetite for importation of goods that we can easily produce locally.

“It is the only way to reclaim economic momentum and drive to prosperity. One way to do this is to go back to the land and develop our agricultural production.

“That is why I have high hopes about the prospects of the CBN’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme and its potential to create millions of jobs and lift thousands of smallholder farmers out of poverty.”

The president said the programme had been designed as a one-stop solution for the agriculture value chain by creating economic linkages between farmers and processors.

He said that the programme would ensure increased agricultural output and reduce dependence on imported foods.

He expressed the hope that the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme would be a model in the way smallholder farmers are financed across the country.

In his opinion, CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele said the bank was concerned about the huge foreign exchange spent by Nigeria to import food items that could be produced locally.

He said that the programme would be implemented in Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Kano, Zamfara, Adamawa, Plateau, Lagos, Ogun, Cross River and Ebonyi, for rice and wheat farming.

According to him, the objective of the programme is to reduce commodity importation, conserve external reserves, reduce the level of poverty among smallholder farmers, create jobs and assist rural smallholder farmers to grow from subsistence to commercial production levels.

He observed that the programme would also facilitate the emergence of a new generation of farmers and entrepreneurs.

“The programme will empower 600,000 farmers in rice farming, 100,000 in wheat, fish and palm production each, 200,000 in their respective value chains in the next five years. “It is also expected to create more than1, 000,000 direct and indirect jobs in the processing segment of the value chains of selected commodities,’’ he said.

He identified lack of mechanisation, low quality inputs and poor funding as major hindrances to rice production in Nigeria, promising that the programme would solve the problem of finance.

He explained that farmers would be thoroughly trained on the global best agronomical practices, insisting that: “The farmers must be a member of a validated cooperative before applying for the loan.

“We will find out how much it will take to produce one hectare of rice to determine the amount that will be given to each individual; the idea is to enhance efficient management of the resources.”

Economists believe that the stimulation of rice production through the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme will lead to increase in production of rice in all rice-producing states where the programme will be implemented.

They note further that the inauguration of the programme in Kebbi is commendable because of the state’s history in the production of rice, maize, wheat, barley, cowpeas, onions, tomatoes, sweet and Irish potatoes, among others. Mr Oladele Idowu, an economist with a private firm in Ibadan, nonetheless, advises stakeholders in agriculture to ensure the success of the programme.

Credit: The Nation Newspaper

Buhari administration will make agriculture mainstay of Nigeria’s economy — Sen. Adamu

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, has expressed confidence that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration will reposition the agric sector to become the mainstay of the nation’s economy.

Adamu (APC-Nasarawa West) made this known at NAN’s Forum on Thursday in Abuja.

“Now we have reasons to believe that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is serious; serious because the President has said it time and again, since campaigning for presidency and at his inauguration and recently at the presentation of the budget proposals.

“He, Buhari, has emphasised on getting agriculture back on track and we believe him.

“He is a man of honour, we believe as most Nigerians have testified, he is a man with integrity.

“He is a man of his words and from the budget proposal in front of the National Assembly, one has reason to believe that he is serious, he wants to do something in the agricultural sector.’’

Adamu said the foundation would soon organise a stakeholders’ workshop with the objective to contribute to the enhancement of the agriculture sector.

The senator noted that certain steps were taken in the past that brought agriculture to enviable height but lamented that those steps had been abandonment.

He noted that unless care was taken the good intentions of the president for agriculture could be derailed.

“There are those who are always walking from behind the scene; they can easily derail the efforts and commitment of the current administration.

“And in order to ensure that we guard against the possibility of that happening, we believe that we need the views of stakeholders in the sector.

“We have contributions we can make to ensure that this practice of government after government, coming and organising seminars and going is different this time.

“We have enough materials that we can go and hit the ground running.’’

He said the workshop was opened to stakeholders in the sector to contribute their quota to move agriculture forward.

He said that the workshop would come up between Feb. 2 and Feb.3 at the Shehu Musa Yar Ádua Centre, Abuja. 

(NAN)

AFAN, Yabatech to partner US College on agric capacity building

All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, has entered into collaboration with a United States based college, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, NCTA, Curtis, Nebraska, USA, on agricultural training for the Nigerian farmers while also introducing them to some farming equipment, which are not currently available in the country. The training and capacity building programme is to take place at Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH, Yaba, Lagos.

The partnership, which was being facilitated by AFAN, Lagos chapter, was to train Nigerian farmers and technicians in order to promote agriculture in the area of handling and maintenance of agricultural equipment.
According to the AFAN Chairman, Otunba Femi Oke, not only the farmers would benefit from the programme, the student of Yaba College of Technology would also be beneficiaries as many of them would be enrolled into the programme.

The representative of NCTA, and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of SSA Farm Technologies, Inc., Mr. Kofi Amoabin during a parley with AFAN, Lagos Chapter in YABATECH, Lagos said the training was necessary in order to boost agriculral activities in the country.
He explained that Nigerian farmers lost greater percentage of their harvest due to lack of equipment and infrastructure and lack of training on the use of the available equipment. He said the College would design a course for the farmers under the umbrella of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, as well as all other participants. He also said that they might have the opportunity to travel to United States of America to get a diploma or a degree and be further introduced to the more sophisticated agricultural equipment.

He added that the institution has got the permission from the USA Department of Education, to design programmes for students and farmers. With this development, he declared that the transfer of skill to Nigeria would make agriculture better in the country.
Amoabin noted that agriculture needed technicians to store and maintain equipment to prevent breakdown for its successful practice in any society.

Source: nationalmirroronline

Why a star football player traded NFL career for a tractor

This piece originally aired on November 14, 2014

LOUISBURG, N.C. - At one point number 60, Jason Brown, was one of the best centers in the NFL.

At one point he had a five-year, $37 million contract with the St. Louis Rams.

And at one point he decided it was all meaningless - and just walked away from football.

"My agent told me, 'You're making the biggest mistake of your life,'" said Brown. "And I looked right back at him and I said, 'No I'm not. No I'm not.'"

So what could possibly trump the NFL?

Jason Brown gets ready for a play against the New England Patriots in 2010.

 ELSA, GETTY IMAGES

You wouldn't believe.

Jason Brown quit football to be a plain, old farmer -- even though he'd never farmed a day a in his life.

Asked how he learned to even know what to do, Brown said:

"Get on the Internet. Watch Youtube videos."

He learned how to farm from Youtube.

Thanks to Youtube and some good advice from other farmers here in Louisburg, N.C., this week Jason finished harvesting his first, a five-acre plot of sweet potatoes.

"When you see them pop up out of the ground, man, it's the most beautiful thing you could ever see," said Brown. He said he has never felt more successful.

"Not in man's standards," said Brown. "But in God's eyes."

But God cares about the NFL, right? There are people praying to him on the field all the time.

"Yeah, there's a lot of people praying out there," said Brown. "But, when I think about a life of greatness, I think about a life of service."

Jason Brown tends to his fields in Louisburg, N.C.

 CBS NEWS

See, his plan for this farm, which he calls "First Fruits Farm," is to donate the first fruits of every harvest to food pantries. Today it's all five acres--100,000 pounds--of sweet potatoes.

"It's unusual for a grower to grow a crop just to give away," said Rebecca Page, who organizes food collection for the needy. "And that's what Jason has done. And he's planning to do more next year."

Brown has 1,000 acres here, which could go a long way toward eliminating hunger in this neck of North Carolina.

"Love is the most wonderful currency that you can give anyone," said Brown.

"Are you sure you played in the NFL?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Because I feel like cuddling you right now."

"Don't do that!" he said.

Brown may have left the NFL, but apparently holding is still a penalty.

Source: www.cbsnews.com

Startupper of the year by Total

A unique opportunity for Start-Ups!

In Africa as elsewhere, many young people aspire to start their own business and build a brighter future, which is why we’ve created the « Startupper of the year by Total » challenge.

Ideas deserve support, especially great ones. And promising ideas deserve a helping hand.

Google, Facebook, Daily Motion, Twitter, Deezer, Airbnb and other leading names in the 2.0 economy all started as the brainchild of inspired young people. There’s no shortage of startuppers in Africa — iCow1, Afate 3D Printer2, CardioPad3, Obami4, Sense Ebola Follow up5and M-Iouma6 are already shaking up the continent.

IF YOU’RE CURRENTLY PREPARING A BUSINESS PLAN OR ARE IN THE EARLY STAGES OF CREATING YOUR OWN BUSINESS, YOU’RE ELIGIBLE TO ENTER OUR CHALLENGE!

We Want You

Are you under 35 years old? Do you want to create a business or develop one that is less than two years old? Are you a citizen of one of these 34 African countries: Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Reunion, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia or Zimbabwe?* If so, this challenge is for you!

We’re interested in all your projects, regardless of the type of business or activity, as long as they share the characteristics common to creative start-ups: innovation, competitiveness, growth boosting and job creation.

*The contestant must be a citizen of the country where its application is submitted in order to create or develop its project there. Only one application by contestant is admitted.

TRY YOUR LUCK AND ENTER THE CHALLENGE!
Create a profile here to take part.

Think Global, Act Local

What challenges need to be tackled where you live? How will your innovative project address them? After you show us how, we’ll support those of you who will inspire, create, invest, hire and produce, all to transform "your" world

1 Kenyan start-up. Agricultural information service by mobile phone.
2 Togolese start-up. 3D printers made from discarded electronics.
3 Cameroonian start-up. Touch screen medical tablet designed to save lives.
4 South African start-up. Alternative learning platform.
5 Nigerian start-up. A mobile tool to help contain Ebola.

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Bird Flu: FG To Go Tough On Illegal Poultry Farms By Ruth Tene Abuja

The federal government has decided to go tough on illegal poultry farms across the country following the ravaging Avian Influenza, A.I, outbreak in 22 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Chief veterinarian officer of the federation, Dr Egejura Eze, made the disclosure at a sensitisation programme on A.I, also referred to as Bird Flu in Kuje and Gwagwalada area councils of the FCT at the weekend.

The sensitisation programme with the theme, ‘Fight Bird Flu, Protect Birds and You’, was handled by an officer in the Department of Veterinary Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Gidado Ahmed, who outlined basic measures to assist farmers in curbing the spread of the virus.

According to Eze “ the government would not allow illegality and impunity to continue in the poultry industry as she bemoaned the rise of unregistered poultry farms by some people who by-pass the veterinarian officer in the States and local government areas, but comes forward to be compensated by the government for losses incurred during an outbreak of Bird Flu”

Meanwhile records by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development states that the virus has affected 93 local government areas in 22 states and the FCT, with total number of 541 cases confirmed, which 2, 378,698 birds have been depopulated, and compensation of N709, 969, 987 paid to 276 farmers.

Ahmed in the basic ourline said “poultry farmers are to apply two biosecurity measures of containment and isolation. He said farm owners are to keep poultry in closed, screened buildings on the farm to prevent entry of rats, birds and reptiles that can carry the virus into the building from diseased farms.

“Separation of poultry from other animals and from other poultry species, no standing bodies of water on the farm as this can attract wild birds that may be carriers of the virus”.

“Control movement of people, animals, equipment, and vehicles in and out of farm. The farm should be fenced with a foot bath containing disinfectant at the gate and entrance of each pen, plastic egg trays should be used to transfer eggs and for easy disinfecting, egg buyers should not be allowed into pens, but be at the gate of the farm”

He further added that“Separate sick birds from health ones, avoid patronage of hawkers of day old chicks, all live-birds should be sold outside farm, farm workers should not be allowed to visit a diseased farm, clean the environment of farm very well, make accurate measurement of disinfectant for optimal performance”

“Report any symptom of Bird Flu to the nearest government veterinary office in the LGA, and give maximal cooperation to government officials who come to the farm to assist you control the disease by providing necessary information they ask”, Gidado said.

He also advised farm owners not to panic when samples are taken for laboratory analysis, and if the result turns out to be negative there is every arrangement to compensate them. He also debunked claim of vaccination for farms.

He added that there was currently no vaccination exercise going on in any poultry farm, but we encourage you to cooperate with us, and also farm owners, sellers and drivers should cooperate among themselves to fight the disease, and don’t spread the disease and don’t be smart to say you want to sell every poultry product, and it will back fire because the virus brings down a farm within a week”, he stated.

Source: Leadership Newspaper

N5,000 stipends: No country would give free money — Ngige

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, yesterday, said that the stipend of N5,000 promised by the government of All Progressives Congress, APC, for unemployed youths was not for the indolent people.

He said that no country would give free money, stressing that Nigeria would not be an exception.

Speaking to journalists yesterday at the national secretariat of the APC in Abuja, Ngige, however, revealed that the Federal Government would ensure that the youths were trained in various skills and programmes to justify the money.

He added that the project would also involve the state governments.

According to him, there will be categories of people, who would earn higher than the N5,000.

“We also have the programme on the commission cash transfer. Though even you, the press, has said it,  we won’t pay N5,000 for people to be indolent. No country in the world would pay people to go home and sleep and collect cash. So, Nigeria would not be an exception.

“We will pay some people N5,000, we will pay some N10,000, and even for people in teacher conversion scheme, we will pay more than N10,000 and N15,000 as stipend while in training, and then after the training, they are going to be employed by state government and the Federal Government in different institutions.

“It is not a programme we shall run alone, the state governments are going to buy into it. They are going to synchronize with us.We are going to do it in synergy.”

Ngige also stated that some of the programmes will “span through Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Labour.

“Agriculture, because we have some agricultural universities, we will convert some people to teach the relevant agricultural science.”

The minister who stated that Nigeria has various skill acquisition centers also underscored the importance of training the youth.

“The ministry has specialist skills acquisition centres; we have seven like that in the ministry under the commissioner of skills or directorate for skills.

“The NDE have over 120 centres scattered all over the country. We also have those that have been built by state government and we want to capture all of these into that scheme and then get people to the scheme to be bricklayers,  POP designers, builders, welders, electronics repairers and the one they called mecha-tronic, repair of vehicles, automobile carpentry, painting and fabrication of all sorts.”

Credit: Vanguard

Kogi Govt. Gets N150m Agric. Devt. Programme – FADAMA Official

The World Bank-assisted Fadama III Additional Financing project said it has designed a N150 million agricultural development programme for Kogi under FADAMA III programme.

The project’s Task Team Leader, Dr Adetunji Oredipe, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lokoja during an assessment visit to the state.

He said that the programme was also designed to provide support to rural farmers across the value chains of cassava, rice, sorghum and horticulture.

The task team leader added that the programme was to rehabilitate access roads to the rural communities to facilitate market accessibility by the farmers.

He told NAN that it was aimed at building new generations of business-oriented agro-entrepreneurs as well as giving farmers a new way of feeding their families and earning good incomes.

Oredipe said that the programme was also going on simultaneously in other states like Niger, Kano, Lagos, Anambra and Enugu.

He said some of the states had prepared their designs, while others were already launching their procurement processes, and expressed the hope that the programme will take-off by June.

According to him, the programme covers land preparation activities such ploughing, rigging and secondary level clearing, among others.

He said that the World Bank would provide N120 million while the state government is expected to pay the balance of N30 million as its counterpart contribution.

Oredipe, who stated that the project team was poised to tackle the challenges facing Kogi farmers, appealed to the state government to meet its counterpart obligations.

“We are appealing to the state government to support implementation of this critical programme by fulfilling its counterpart obligations.

“In the face of the prevailing economic hardship facing them, the state government should prioritise wealth and job creation programmes such as the Fadama III.

“ If the government is able to do this and make the needed resources available, together we can work to achieve the objectives set out in the project document,’’ he said.

The team leader identified clearing of virgin land, in adequate market as two of the major challenges facing farmers in the state.

Oredipe said that in view of some of the challenges facing the farmers in the state, the Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP) was designed to align with the programme.

“The cost of clearing land, especially in Kogi, is very high and is not covered by Fadama III Additional Financing project.

“We have discussed this with the government, and we are happy to report that the government has acquired new sets of equipment to assist farmers in this regard.

“The state Deputy Governor, Mr Yomi Awoniyi, told the team that government had acquired at least 19 bulldozers, some tractors and other equipment to boost crop production in the state,’’ he said.

Oredipe said that the state agricultural project unit would further discuss with the state government, on how best to take advantage of the new equipment to help farmers with land clearing.

“The programme is also promoting the establishment of agricultural centres close to the farms where off-takers can easily access and pick up the produce.

“This will save the farmers the stress and loss associated with transporting their produce, over long distances, to the market.

“At the agricultural centres, facilities will be provided to assist farmers with initial processing of their produce to ensure convenience for the off-takers,’’ he said. (NAN)

Source: Leadership Newspaper