ABUJA – Dr Tunde Arosanyin, National Technical Adviser, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), on Monday urged the three tiers of government to promote family farming.
Arosanyin told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the Federal, state and local governments should continuously show support for farming activities.
He said it was not just enough to commemorate the year as an ‘International Year of Family Farming’ as declared by the UN, but to also promote the agriculture sector.
He called on stakeholders at all levels to engage in productive activities that would move agriculture forward.
NAN recalls that the UN declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) to recognize
the importance of family farming in reducing poverty and improving global food security.
“We want to encourage everybody to contribute something into the economy by getting involved in the sector.
“But I want to implore other states to key into the Federal Government’s programmes in order to achieve food security,” he said.
He stressed the need for the local governments to be proactive at the grassroots where most farming activities take place.
“Local governments are failing in terms of performing their responsibility of creating an enabling environment for the people to engage in productive activities.
“They need to step up on their own programmes and activities in line with what the government is doing at the federal and state levels, so that together we can move the sector forward,” he said.
Arosanyin said that families should endeavour to engage in other forms of agriculture as fishery, snail rearing, bee keeping, and not just tilling the ground.
He said that every family should also involve in vegetable production– starting from their backyards– to raise income for the family. (NAN)