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This is actually the right time to turn to agriculture for food, employment, raw materials etc. For long Nigeria had depended so much on oil and gas for everything neglecting the agricultural sector. Since the last two years it become very glaring that oil and gas would no longer provide food for Nigerians. The government has started shifting to other sector of the economy for survival. Certainly agriculture is providing the solace.

The Federal Government began the implementation of the agricultural programmes in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates assisted food sufficiency programme.

Farmers in Benue, Kogi and Kaduna states will be trained to develop value chains, food processing and marketing mechanisms.

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BILL AND MELINDA GATE ASSISTED FOOD SUFFICIENCY PROGRAMME IN NIGERIA.

 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Approach:

Agricultural Development is one of the largest initiatives of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. To date, it has committed more than US$2 billion to agricultural development efforts, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Their  approach is based on the following principles:

Listening to farmers and addressing their specific needs:

 They talk to farmers about the crops they want to grow and eat, as well as the unique challenges they face. Then they partner with organizations that understand and are equipped to address these challenges. They invest in research to identify relevant and affordable solutions that farmers want and will use.

Increasing farm productivity:

 They support a comprehensive approach to helping smallholder farmers prosper, that includes access to heartier seeds, more effective tools and farm management practices, locally relevant knowledge, emerging digital technologies, and reliable markets. They also advocate for agricultural policies that support farmers in their efforts to better feed themselves and their communities.

Fostering sustainable agricultural practices:

 In an era of increasingly scarce resources and growing impact of climate change, they encourage farmers to embrace and adopt sustainable practices that help them grow more with less land, water, fertilizer, and other costly inputs while preserving natural resources for future generations.

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Achieving greater impact with partners:

They are committed to communicating their strategy more effectively and sharing what they learned with grantees and other partners, including governments, nongovernmental organizations, traditional and emerging donors, and the private sector. Their resources, while significant, represent only a fraction of what is needed. Collaborating effectively with others will maximizes their  collective impact in helping farming families.

BILL AND MELINDA GATE ASSISTED FOOD SUFFICIENCY PROGRAMME IN NIGERIA.

Delegation in Benue State:

A delegation from the Gates Foundation were in Makurdi, the Benue State capital for a meeting with Governor Samuel Ortom. Recently.

The Head of the delegation, Mr Audu Yerima, hinted that the value chain development, processing and marketing of food items were priority areas in the partnership agreement with the Federal Government.

BILL AND MELINDA GATE ASSISTED FOOD SUFFICIENCY PROGRAMME IN NIGERIA.

Governor Ortom, on his part, said his administration was willing to open up the State Agricultural Policy for input and greater efficiency for the growth of the sector.

He asked the Foundation to deploy its expertise knowledge and marketing network, in order to make millionaires out of Benue farmers.