$56million for Agric Research

THE World Bank has invested $56 million (N8.9 billion) in the nation’s agricultural research system, to improve food production in the country. The five-year project, codenamed West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP-Nigeria) and being implemented by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is targetted at boosting Nigeria’s research system. The project is expected to make research system contribute more effectively to technological development, dissemination and adoption for greater agricultural productivity. A breakdown of the fund revealed that the sub-regional International Development Association contributed $30 million, the Nigeria IDA paid $15 million, while the Federal Government provided a counterpart fund of $5 million and the Spanish government through the Global Food Crisis Response Programme (GFPR) provided $6 million. The National Project Coordinator WAAPP-Nigeria, Prof. Damian Chikwendu, revealed this in Makurdi, Benue State, while presenting a brief on WAAPP-Nigeria at a consultative meeting with some selected universities. Chikwendu also disclosed that the project covers the whole country, with about 1.5 million people, comprising farmers, processors and marketers expected to benefit from the programme. He added that the project would also help improve agricultural productivity and promote regional integration as instruments for enhancing shared growth and poverty reduction in West Africa. Chikwendu, who bemoaned the low level of agricultural research in the country, which he described as non-participatory, stressed the need for researchers to tackle farmer’s problems, rather than allow their efforts to gather dust on the shelves. He said: “it’s unfortunate that most agricultural researches conducted nowadays do not have direct bearing on the farmers and end consumers.” A professor should be able to conduct researches that will address challenges faced by farmers and not just allow his research work not to have impact.” The Executive Secretary, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria, Prof. Yusuf Abubakar, expressed dissatisfaction at the lip service being paid by past governments to research development in the country. He said it’s a good thing that government is waking up to its responsibility by planning to restructure National Agricultural Research System (NARS) after EMBRAPA in Brazil. “There is now a shift from scientists working in isolation to their interaction with concerned system actors, resulting in increased flows and use of knowledge held by the actors, innovation and increased capacity to innovate”, he said. Abubakar, however, stressed the need for government to improve funding of the sub-sector. Next > Author of this article: From Joke Falaju, Abuja (The Guidian)