NACOLGDA PRESIDENT TASK STATE GOVERNMENTS ON FARMERS DATABASE

 NACOLGDA PRESIDENT TASK STATE GOVERNMENTS ON FARMERS DATABASE

The President, National Council on Local Government Department of Agriculture NACOLGDA, Alhaji Idris  Mohammed Abubakar, has called on State Governments to support the initiative of the council to develope 'Farmers Database' in all the 774 Local Government Councils of Nigeria. 

He made the call during a one day stakeholders meeting on the need to refocus on data driven policies.  He stated that "initiative is borne out of the need to plan, implement and monitor activities and programmes of farmers in all the nook and crannies of the country for all forms of interventions to get to the right people". 

He added that "We are convinced that lack of adequate data has been the most challenging feature of most of the well-intended agricultural interventions over the years".  

It is believed that Nigerian Federal Government is implementing the National Agricultural Data Management Information System(NADMIS), therfore if the States and Local Governments where most of the real farmer dwell, are to taken along there is need for adequate database of the farmers at thus level. 

He then said "under the umbrella of the National Council on Local Government Department of Agriculture NACOLGDA) we are partnering with some National mobile network carriers to develop a databank of all farmers at the community level". 

"These statistics will include the names and numbers of farmers, type of crops they plant, the nature of their produce among others" he added.

He then called on the Federal and State governments "...to work closely with us to build accurate farmers data for effective planning and implementation of its policies and programmes".

The President then clarified that their implementation process will involve "a continuous sector performance appraisal through the various platforms for local review exercises to curtail identified issues of data gaps towards the attainment of the Agricultural Promotion Policy".

The programme had in attendance representatives from the various states Ministries of Agriculture among other critical stakeholders.