Nigeria has asked the United States Government for help in addressing important problems that are harming the nation’s agricultural sector.
According to The PUNCH, as part of his recent diplomatic engagements in the United States of America, Vice President Kashim Shettima launched negotiations with US Special Envoy for Global Food Security, Cary Fowler.
Shettima said in a statement, “We seek the support of the United States Government towards addressing challenges in our agricultural sector, be it technical or otherwise.”
“Mechanisation is essential,” he said, adding, “Good quality seeds, fertilization, improved agricultural practices, smart agriculture – these are the solutions we seek because our entire focus is on increasing yield and improving productivity.” It encompasses more than just the land utilized for production.
The Vice President declared, “I am here, surrounded by other stakeholders armed with figures, facts, and knowledge, making this partnership easy and smooth sailing.”
He gave the US Special Envoy for Global Food Security his word that the Tinubu administration is prepared to work with pertinent parties to increase agricultural productivity not only in Nigeria but throughout Africa.
“We will take care of it now more than ever. We have issues with food security. To find creative ideas that will enable us to overcome obstacles, we must think beyond the box. He said, “I think we can save humanity and serve the human race with your help.
In response, Fowler disclosed that the US government has started an innovative agricultural plan centered on Africa in partnership with other important stakeholders.
“We’ve launched what we call the ‘Vision for Adapted Crops and Soil,’ a partnership involving the US, the AU, and the FAO here in the US,” he said. In essence, our goal is to support African countries from the national level down to individual farmers, with ineffective soil management, ensuring both sustainability and productivity in soil cultivation.
Furthermore, the effect of climate change on Africa’s crops worries us greatly. As a result, our combined program with the AU and FAO is specifically designed to solve the difficulties that African agriculture faces.
He revealed that the program would examine native African crops that had long been neglected due to significant underfunding.
“To provide long-term funding for the program, we have established a multi-donor trust fund at the IFAD, and USAID is also involved.” The initiative has received $100 million from the US government,” he continued.
Nonetheless, he underlined that stakeholders have to cooperate with countries such as Nigeria.
“To advance this, we need your cooperation and political backing. We need to institutionalize these initiatives and make them more ongoing. We want this program to be African-led,” he further noted.
