HortiNigeria Trains Kaduna Farmers on Enhanced Horticultural Practices

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Agribusiness Coordinator of HortiNigeria, Makama Danjuma, has said that over 1000 smallholder farmers have been trained on enhanced agricultural practices in Kaduna State.
Danjuma disclosed this in an interview with journalists at a training of farmers at the Sustainable Development Goals Partnership (SDGP) learning site, Faculty of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, to celebrate Horticultural Week.
He said the training aimed at exposing farmers to best practices increasing the productivity and income of smallholder farmers in Sabon Gari, Kudan and Zaria LGAs of  the state.

HortiNigeria is a horticulture programme funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Nigeria and implemented by a consortium including the International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC) and other international organisations.
Danjuma said, since the implementation of the four-year programme in 2021, smallholder farmers have been trained on how to boost the production of cabbage, cucumber, okra, onions, pepper, sweet corn, tomatoes, and watermelon.

He said, “HortiNigeria is celebrating horticultural week and we invited farmers to this learning site in ABU Zaria, to expose them to best practices in order to improve their productivity to feed their families and the nation.
“We have over 1,000 farmers from Sabon Gari, Kudan and Zaria local government areas who have learned the techniques of vegetable farming.

“The event also provided an opportunity for the farmers to connect with agro dealers who sell fertilizers, insecticides and seedlings among others.”

Also speaking in an interview Ibrahim Samiu, a representative of East-West Seed Knowledge Transfer Nigeria, one of the organisations partnering with HortiNigeria in implementing the programme, said the farmers were being exposed to the different techniques of farming.

“We are exposing the farmers to techniques for seedling production, land preparation, how to do transplant, how to apply fertiliser and how to identify the right soil for a particular crop or vegetable.

“We are also educating them on pest management – how to identify different types of pests and responsible use of chemicals,” he said.