Expert Hails Songhai Farms, CBNRMP Partnership

The Senior Technical Adviser to the IFAD/FGN Community Based Natural Resource Management Programme (CBNRMP) in the Niger Delta, Elder Ernest Nwogu has said that the collaboration between Songhai Farms and CBNRMP would boost agricultural development and improve living standards of rural farmers in the area.

Elder Nwogu who stated this in an interview with The Tide at Songhai Farms in Bunu, Tai Local Government Area, Rivers State recently disclosed that the collaboration which covers knowledge acquisition, capacity and skills building among others would be transferred to rural farmers in the states of the Niger Delta region.

He explained that CBNRMP extension service delivery had multiplier effect on the value, standard and improvement of rural farmers through updating of their knowledge on new technologies and techniques in their areas of specialisation.

The agricultural expert also said that the programme placed premium on giving of grants to farmers to assist them improve on their system of farming and receive feed back information on their needs in order to tackle them.

We use community driven development approach to get into the rural farmers in their various communities and during oral interaction with them (farmers). We will able to identify their needs and ways of assisting them” he emphatically told The Tide.

Describing Songhai farms as a centre of excellence, the CBNRMP technical adviser expressed optimism that the partnership would go a long to help staff of his organisation to improve upon the knowledge already acquired.

“We bring in our staff to under-study Songhai staff in order to build capacity of our own staff who will in turn transfer same to the rural farmers in the Niger Delta” he emphassised.

Acknowledging that there would be room for impact assessment, Elder Nwogu pointed out that at the end of the study, the parties in the collaboration would go into memory lane to see if the contents of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) were actually implemented.

While urging the staff of CBNRMP to take the study seriously, the agricultural expert lauded Governor Chibuike Amaechi led administration for replicating the Songhai farms in Benin Republic in Rivers State to address the problem of food security, poverty and unemployment among others.

Isaac Nwankwo