From Aidoghie Paulinus and Okwe Obi, Abuja
Women Enterprise Alliance (WENA) and development experts, yesterday, brainstormed on the challenges bedeviling the agricultural sector which has led to food crisis and slowed exports.
The event, titled ‘Rethinking Paradigm Shift in Agriculture and Initiative to Enhance Food Security,’ had in attendance, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mohammad Abubakar; Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agriculture, Andrew Kwasari, among others.
Founder of WENA, Aisha Babangida, identified inadequate financing, lack of legislative support and the use of obsolete tools as some of the problems in the sector.
She called on relevant authorities to modernise agriculture by providing financing, embracing organic farming, developing infrastructure, particularly storage facilities.
She said government should get legislative support, develop a broad map, train farmers and provide adequate fertiliser.
She said productivity goes beyond farmers’ bottom line, to include the ability of the country to feed its growing population.
Babangida further explained that agriculture involves methodological sowing of beneficial plants, including rearing livestock under the supervision of man.
“Over the next two days, this conference will rethink paradigm shift in agriculture and find ways to enhance food security. How? Through modernisation of agriculture, infrastructure development, legislative support, broad map development, technology transfer, agric finance, substantial agriculture in climate change and organic farming. To support agricultural activities, advancement of technology, and most importantly, it is important to device a realistic roadmap for agriculture,” Babangida said.