The Syngenta Foundation For Sustainable Agriculture has partnered Ekiti State Government through the Ministry of Agriculture, to establish a farmer’s hub in Erifun, Ado-Ekiti.
The Foundation Country Programme Manager, Mr. Isaiah Gabriel, held a meeting with the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security in Ekiti State, Hon. Ebenezer Boluwade on steps
towards enhancing the business of horticultural crops and improving access to quality, affordable inputs, market opportunities, and financing for smallholder farmers in the state.
The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) is known for bridging the gap between research for innovations and their delivery for use by smallholders and it focusses in strengthening small holder farming and food systems, catalyze market development and delivery of innovations while building capacity across the public and private sectors.
The Farmer Hub would facilitate smallholder farmers’ access to a range of agricultural services from production to market, including machinery rental options, training on agronomy and compliance with quality standards for access to more lucrative markets, and input and output market access.
To showcase its seriousness, a pilot project is set to commence in few weeks time with plans for further expansion and the establishment of additional hubs in 2024. The Syngenta Foundation team, accompanied by Ministry of Agric staff visited the 5-hectare farmland at Erifun, Ado Ekiti and expressed enthusiasm about the site’s potential.They were eager to deploy the Farmer’s Hub before October 15, 2023.
According to a statement from the ministry of Agriculture,”This new hub will be deployed within the recently established Ekiti Youth in Agribusiness Hub initiative, led by the State Government, designed to empower young individuals who have received specialized training in horticulture through Mastercard Foundation Program in Olericulture. The hub is situated on a 5-hectare land space at Erifun, Ado Ekiti and will be supported with solar powered irrigation system that will ensure all year-round production activities”
“The Farmer’s Hub to be sponsored by SFSA will complement the Horticultural Hub with a store offering affordable agricultural inputs, an open meeting space for knowledge sharing among farmers and stakeholders, and a greenhouse dedicated to vegetable seedling production.
“This initiative marks a significant milestone in Ekiti State’s government’s efforts to promote youth involvement in agriculture, fostering economic growth and sustainability in the state. It tallies with the administration shared prosperity agenda that ensures poverty alleviation and job creation”
