Over 500 farmers in three local government areas of Yobe State have been trained on seeds production and pests control.
The training was organized under the Feed the future initiative, led by USAID, in collaboration with IITA, and International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics ICRISAT.
The program lead of IITA Mr Joseph Abikoye said the training was carried out to expose the farmers to seed production as the quality and quantity of seeds impact crop yields, enhance nutritional content crops and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers.
The Country Representatives ICRISAT, Dr Angarawai Ignitius, represented by Mr Jerom Jonah advocated farming via climate smart agriculture to help address hunger and food shortage.
Two of the beneficiaries, Mohammed Disa and Usman Fulani, thanked the organizers for their support and expressed optimism that the quality of seeds provided to them would enhance their productivity.
However, some farmers appealed to government and other developmental partners to provide fertilizers at subsidized rate for them.
Sorghum, Millet, Rice and Cowpea seeds were distributed to the farmers at the end of the training.
