Nigeria has received a $350,000 assistance from Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) to promote irrigation schemes.
The assistance is provided on the platform of FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP).
The Country Representative of FAO, Mr. Fred Kafeero, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.
He said the gesture aimed to strengthen sustainable and inclusive food and agriculture systems in the country.
He said as a specialised agency of the United Nations, FAO had the mandate to ensure food security and nutrition in all its member countries across the world through sustainable management of natural resources including water.
Drip irrigation or trickle irrigation is a type of micro-irrigation system that has the potential to save water and nutrients by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface.
Kafeero said the FAO remained committed to supporting the country’s economic diversification agenda and promotion of decent employment for youth and women in the agricultural value chain.
He said by championing the implementation of Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs), the UN underscore the the importance of water availability and access in ensuring food security and nutrition among other benefits.
The FAO country director, however, expressed hope that through the implementation of the TCP, Nigeria would be able to strengthen its agriculture and food systems by making them sustainable and inclusive while at the same time ensuring improved health and livelihoods.
He commended the ministry for leading in the formulation and implementation of the Water Resources Policy and championing irrigated agriculture for food security adding that this contributes significantly to the socio-economic development in the country.
He said,”We believe this will bring more youths, smallholder farmers and other vulnerable groups to engage in the production of high value crops through the utilisation of cheaper and simpler food production technologies all year round.”
However, responding to the gesture, Minister of Water Resources, Mr. Suleiman Adamu, commended the organisation adding that the
cooperation was key to achieving its ministerial mandate of completing all priority ongoing irrigation and dam projects.
