Entry: Bill Guyton

Yesterday there was an article in the Nigerian press on the impact that STCP Farmer Field Schools were having in local cocoa growing communities in Nigeria. World Cocoa Foundation and our partners have been supporting these programs, financially and technically, for the past five years. In 2007, Chris Okafor, STCP National Coordinator for Nigeria, received an award from World Cocoa Foundation for his leadership on cocoa programs.

THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Schools On Farms Raise Cocoa Yield, Farmers Say

PARTNERS and members of the national steering committee (NSC) of the Sustainable Tree Crops Programme have commended the Nigeria country office of the STCP for the progress made in the out-going cocoa year. The commendation came at the annual review meeting of the STCP national steering committee held in Akure, Ondo State, on Friday.

Chairman of the NSC, Mr. Ejide Aladesaiye, noted that, in the past year, the STCP had increased its Farmers Field Schools' (FFS) coverage from four to ten states in the fourteen cocoa producing states in Nigeria. He noted that, with this increase, there is a corresponding expansion in the number of cocoa farmers who have been trained through the initiative which utilises a farmer-participatory approach in its operation.

Mr. Aladesaiye also noted that four farmers' cooperatives have also received support through the IITA/STCP-SOCODEVI platform in Ondo, Osun, Abia and Cross River states. He described work of the Nigeria office of the STCP as "a wonderful work."

According to Aladesaiye, the activities of the STCP in Nigeria had already been acknowledged internationally through the award won by, the country manager, Dr. Chris Okafor, in Washington, USA, last year as the best STCP office among all the countries assessed.

Dr. Okafor, stated that the main achievements of the outgoing year are in the areas of training and support for farmers' cooperatives. According to him, the FFS has been used to "energise them (farmers) to be able to think creatively about how to deal with issues they face on the farm."

"We have also developed new tools, based on what they have learnt in the farmers' field school, to train them and they are using the new knowledge they have acquired to develop themselves to think creatively about how they can sell their beans collectively and make more money for their pocket," Dr. Okafor added.

Okafor challenged stakeholders to take up new technologies developed by the STCP, Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria and other research institutions in the cocoa sector and improve farmers' productivity. According to him, "stakeholders should take up what we have developed and is working for cocoa farmer. We have to change that mindset where we have to look up to government for everything."

While acknowledging that government has to play its role in the sector, Okafor expressed the belief that, with increased participation by the private sector, diffusion of new technologies in the industry will be better, using the various platforms of the stakeholders in the local cocoa industry.

Dr. Okafor promised that the states not currently covered by the FFS will be covered in the next year. He added that STCP also plans to increase the collective marketing thrust with the support of SOCODEVI which has already started a cooperative support initiative under the STCP-National Cocoa Development Committee platform. This support is channeled through the FFS project.

Chief David Onyeweaku, a cocoa farmer from Abia State, expressed his appreciation at the impact of the FFS on his farm. According to him, his productivity has increased while his cost of production has reduced over the past year. "I learnt so many things in this FFS programme. I found that I sprayed pesticides less than I did last year, because of implementing what I learnt last year because of this programme."

He praised the content of the FFS which has assisted farmers to increase productivity while also reducing production cost. He observed that in spite of the increased rainfall and harsh weather in Abia State, where, according to him, rainfall has been persistent since January this year, cocoa farmers who have undergone the nine-month training programme are able to save their crops through the integrated crop and pest management training programme of the STCP.

Full article and link. Posted on September 29, 2008 9:08 AM | Permalink