Stakeholders brainstorm on improving food security in Gombe

Stakeholders from the agriculture sector in Gombe State, on Monday met to deliberate on ways of improving food security in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was convened by Synergos, an Agric based Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) and MERCY CORPS Nigeria, in collaboration with the Gombe State government.

Speaking during the meeting in Gombe, the acting Permanent Secretary, Gombe State Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Dr Malta Idris, said the meeting was crucial in view of the need to boost food availability in the state and in the country.

Idris said that the stakeholders’ engagement would help identify challenges in the sector and proffer solutions that would help improve food security.

According to him, the composition of stakeholders comprising rice, maize, cowpea and vegetable farmers, shows that the engagement is multi-stakeholders and inputs from the meeting will impact the sector positively.

Idris said, “We came to share ideas, see what problems we have and how we can collectively address these issues to improve food security, boost farmers’ income and create more jobs.”

Idris stated that the Gombe State government was doing a lot in the sector but noted that government alone could not address all challenges.

“That’s why we welcome partnerships of this nature to complement government’s efforts,” he said.

Idris advised farmers in the state to form cooperatives towards acquiring modern farming implement to help them while jettisoning the traditional means of farming.

He commended Synergos and Mercy Corps as well as other partners working to improve crop and animal productivity in the state.

Speaking virtually, Mr Victor Adejoh, the Country Director, Synergos, said agriculture sector in the state was facing “unprecedented” challenges that needed urgent action with a view to addressing food security.

Adejoh said a Core Delivery Team (CDT) which is a section of the multi-stakeholders platform made up of government and private sector had been formed with the aim of influencing positive change in the sector.

He said the platform would explore creative approaches to ensuring that the challenges affecting the sector were addressed for the good of the citizens.

According to him, stakeholders in the platform would be empowered with new knowledge, skills and networks needed to initiate positive change on large-scale in the sector.

Adejoh said that the aim of the engagement was to help build confidence and trust amongst stakeholders in the sector, ensure inclusiveness, transparency and accountability, while complementing humanitarian efforts in the northeast.

He appealed to the stakeholders to work towards meeting the essence of the project in the state, adding “it is for the collective benefits of the people in Gombe state and Nigeria.”

Also speaking, Ms Margarita Aswani, Chief of Party, Feed the Future Rural Resilience Activity at Mercy Corps, urged the stakeholders to participate actively.

Aswani who was represented by Aniefiok Dominic, Senior Collaborating, Learning and Adapting Advisor, Feed the Future Nigeria Rural Resilience Activity, Mercy Corps, said the corps had been involved in efforts towards improving the sector in four states.

She stated that part of that efforts was to help ensure food availability by creating the right platform for investments that would improve the wellbeing of citizens.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Synergos is a global nonprofit organisation that brings people together to solve complex problems of poverty by supporting agricultural transformation in developing countries like Nigeria.

Also, Mercy Corps, Since 2012, has been working in the most marginalised regions of Nigeria to deliver urgent lifesaving assistance by building the resilience of communities.

In 2019, their work impacted the lives of more than 984,000 people across the country.