The African Development Bank (AFDB) says it has secured $134 million for the cultivation of rice, maize, cassava, and soya beans to boost food production in Nigeria.
The AfDB President, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, disclosed this while briefing newsmen shortly after visiting the Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University Kano (BUK).
He said the bank would support Nigeria to cultivate 300,000 hectares of rice, 300,000 hectares of maize, 150,000 hectares of cassava, and 50,000 hectares of soya beans during the 2024 rainy season.
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“This March, the AfDB is supporting Nigeria to cultivate 118,000 hectares of heat-tolerant varieties of wheat and another 150,000 hectares of maize.
“We live in an era of climate change and yet only three percent of African agriculture is under irrigation. We have to make sure we help our farmers with information that is timely and appropriate.
“We have no other alternative but to adapt to climate change, adopt on how to use water better, dry land crops that are more resilient and tolerant in the face of climate change,” Adesina said.
He added that AfDB would provide grants to the center to enhance more innovation and work together to become a center used for the prediction of weather patterns and gather information for farmers to plan better.
“We will work with the center to become one of the centers to get technology, such as water efficiency made for farmers to get wheat varieties.
“We have a program called “African Disaster Risk Insurance Facility“ which supports farmers on climate change.
“We will also support the youth to develop their business plan ideas into reality with $20,000 grants on “Agri Pitch” and “Agri Hacking” in which students come up with very brilliant ideas,” the AfDB boss added.
The AfDB boss commended the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano (BUK), Prof. Sagir Adamu-Abbas, and the Director, of CDA, for assisting the farmers to have access to technology and resilience in the face of climate change.
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He promised to ensure CDA was given priority by the global Center Adoption.
In his remarks, the Director of CDA, Prof. Jibrin Mohammed-Jibrin, said the center was established in 2012 after winning a $800,000 grant.
“CDA is an African center of excellence renowned for its research and teaching on development initiatives focused on dryland agriculture.
“The center is dedicated to improving livelihood, resilience, and sustainable use of natural resources in African drylands through training and demand-driven research.”
He said the center has received several World Bank grants for research and has so far enrolled about 1,153 Doctorate and Masters students and has also trained farmers on agroecological practices.