After Dr. Adesina Akinwumi, the former Minister of Agriculture and current President of Africa Development Bank (AfDB), Nigeria’s Agriculture sector has never had far reaching policies or programmes like the reviving of the National Agriculture Land Development Authority (NALDA) with a tested technocrat to lead it, JOHN OBA reports.
Handlers
Nigeria agriculture has had various handlers for several years now, especially since the inception of democratic governance in Nigeria, but the most impactful according to experts till date was the reign of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina who brought in the need to make agriculture a business.
When the current administration took over, the then minister of agriculture, Chief Audi Ogbeh promised that Adesina’s programmes and policies like the GES will be sustained but that turned out to be political statement as the programmes were abandoned and several other social programmes that has failed to addressed the core of the sector’s problem were introduced.
NALDA
But the recent revival of NALDA and the appointment of its Executive Secretary, Prince Paul Ikonne, the government seems to be back on track on treating agriculture as business, creating job and tackling food security problem head on.
NALDA was established by the administration of General Ibrahim Babangida vide decree No. 92 of 1992 to execute a national Agricultural Land Development programme that would address the problem of low levels of utilisation of abundant farmland and rural labour resources as well as the high cost of land development. Its aim was to optimise the use of the nation’s land and human resources to uplift the quality of rural life.
Intervention agency
It was strategically positioned as an intervention agency and as a development plan tailored to resolve some constraints that had militated against the growth and development of small holder farmers. It was also to address the problem of land development, extension services and inputs distribution, farmer mobilisation, empowerment, rural industrialisation and skill development across the country.
The authority’s mission and vision is to provide food and fibre security to the country and pull the rural dwellers out of poverty by providing a sustainable agricultural augmentation through mechanised farming, training, supporting the farmers by providing farm inputs and off takers while also changing the mind sets of the youths to see agriculture as a viable business.
The revival of NALDA shows political will on the side of the government to provide incomes and general living standards in Nigeria especially among the youth in the rural area and it will help to contribute towards the attainment of national food and fibre self-reliance, self sufficiency and national food security.
Round peg in a round hole
Prince Paul has proved within the last two months that, he is a round peg in a round hole with the level of achievement so far as several states has quickly key into the vision of the organization by given thousands of hectares of land for the programme. For instance, Niger state has given 22,000 hectares of land for this purpose while Kwara state has given 500 hectares for same.
Ikonne, a two-term commissioner for Land, Survey and Urban Planning as well as Works and Transport in Abia state, has introduced several innovations to ensure that the Agency boost the nation’s economy through agriculture with the aim of eradicating hunger and poverty in the country.
Agriculture as a business and a source of wealth creation
On several occasions, the Executive Secretary, expresses his intention, saying, going by the mandate of the organisation is to make agriculture a business and a source of wealth creation, corraborating Dr. Adesina’s constant assertion that Nigeria cannot continue to treat agriculture as social enterprise. The authority came up with Back to Farm programme to encourage individual, organisations, military, paramilitary and corporations to go back to farm.
He said the organisation intend to have young farmers from the 774000 local government with a pilot number of 100 per local government. State and local government will be required to donate land to this effect while the land preparation, technical and input supports will be offered by the Authority. The crop will be off taken by off takers while the proceeds will be shared between the Authority and the farmer on percentage bases.
National Young Farmers Scheme
Also the National Young Farmers Scheme was introduce to train youth on farming by making them to serve on farms in their states on volunteer bases before they are empowered to start theirs by so doing creating millions of jobs and improving food production in the country.
This Volunteer programme provides opportunities for eligible Nigerians to contribute their volunteer actions, where suitable, to support the work of NALDA in the NALDA pilot projects. The programme which will last 6 months will tactically organize broad-based volunteer services of eligible Nigerians to meet the targets of the three main pilot projects of NALDA to guarantee food and nutrition security in Nigeria.
NALDA volunteer programme is very much different from the Buhari young farmers network.
NALDA volunteer category
Youth in the NALDA volunteer category, will work with NALDA to perform tasks willingly especially helping NALDA to achieve its goals and objectives. Also in the running of activities in the NALDA Office, attending to farmers, field surveys, and others will be assisted by the volunteers.
Move farming away from subsistence
It is certain that the authority with its initiatives will help expand Nigeria food production for both domestic consumption processing and exportation. This will move farming away from subsistence, small scale, labour intensive farming to mechanised, technology driven, large scale farming. This will encourage young Nigerians to take up farming as they would be sure of selling whatever they harvest without delay and post harvest wastages will be addressed and stopped. Hunger will be addressed, joblessness will be reduced and crime curtailed.
NALDA revival couldn’t have come at a better time than now when the country is grappling with hunger and poverty and debt profile of the nation keeps raising. The revival of the Authority can be tag as the best policy step President Muhammadu Buhari has taken in the sector since taken office.
