Stakeholders and beneficiaries of Solitaridad West Africa’s operation in Nigeria gathered Friday in Abuja to mark its 50th anniversary celebration.
During the event, stakeholders especially beneficiaries of its agricultural support services in the country, especially from Kogi, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Enugu states, took time to felicitate with the organisation by highlighting the various levels of assistance and intervention it had made in the life of local farmers.
Speaking at the event, Dr Samson Ogallah, the senior climate specialist (Africa) said Solitaridad is at the forefront of supporting agriculture in the country.
He went down memory lane to explain that it was established by a Catholic Bishop in Netherland in 1969 initially to provide development in Latin America.
In West Africa, the organisation operates in four countries namely Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia and Nigeria with regional office in Ghana.
Its activities in the agriculture value chain within Nigeria include support for oil palm farming, cassava farming, cocoa and cashew in line with international best practices.
It takes a look at small holder farmers who cannot afford the intervention policy of government agencies like the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN and other agencies.
“In 2018, Solitaridad’s global network worked with over 673,000 farmers, miners and workers to adopt good practices. This led to improved practices among 520, 000 farmers. Engaging with these stakeholders in our 334 projects, we helped to improve the income of 228,000 producers and together we brought 966,000 hectares of land under climate-smart management practices,” the organisation said in a statement.
