BATN Foundation empowers small farm holders

The British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Foundation on Thursday said that it was empowering small farm holders nationwide to ensure food security in the country.

An environmentalist with the foundation, Prof. Chidi Ibe, disclosed this in an interview in Lagos. He said that the foundation had adopted participatory approach in dealing with small scale farmers.

“The small scale farm holders are valuable recipe for sustainable food security as almost 90 per cent of food production is done by them. In dealing with them, we allow them to bring in their local way of farming as it is necessary to learn from each other.

“Our experiences with them show that they are skilful, knowledgeable and highly innovative. We support them with climate proof agriculture which comprises crop diversification and generic diversity of crops to mitigate climate change,’’ he said.

Ibe said that climate proof agriculture also included changing some agricultural practices, embracing high yielding varieties as well as drought and flood resistant crops.

He said that it also included agriculture water management and sustaining land by preserving soil fertility through sustainable management of land.

The environmentalist explained that BATN Foundation had taken intervention with small holding farmers as a serious business.

He said that this was because the foundation sees them as a means of alleviating poverty on a large scale in the country.

According to him, more than 70 per cent of Nigerian population engage in agriculture in one form or the other for livelihood.

Ibe said that in spite of all pretences on mechanisation, the future of Nigerian food production would be guaranteed by the small holding farmers.

(NAN)