Don, others get N900m for vegetables

Professor of Soil Science at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Duro Oyedele, will receive $4,450,000 million (N900 million) for a project aimed at promoting indigenous vegetables. The project, which will be in partnership with Osun State University; University of Parakou, Republic of Benin; University of Manitoba and University of Saskatchewan, Canada, is to advance the Under- utilised Indigenous Vegetables (UIVs) in South-western Nigeria and Benin Republic. Checks showed that in Nigeria, over 1,000 farmers increased their yield and income by using improved farming practices to grow UIVs.

These improved farming practices were developed during the field research carried out in South-western Nigeria. In Benin, fertiliser micro-dosing and rain water harvesting techniques also helped over 10,000 farmers achieve equally beneficial results with other crops despite degraded soil. The team of Nigerian, Beninoise and Canadian researchers are now combining these two innovations to bring the farmers’ practices to 50,000 farmers. The recommended farming techniques will be spread through demonstration trials, outreach efforts, supports and trainings for seed producers and marketers, by establishing local committees to address issues such as productivity and marketing. Support to indigenous vegetable farming and processing business will increase demand and improve income of 1,000,000 West African farmers and the University of Manitoba in Canada

. This project is among the four international projects that have been collectively awarded $17 million by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. They are part of an effort to scale up the most promising research supported under IDRC- Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF). The CIFSRF is a programme of IDRC, Canada, undertaken with financial support of the Canadian government provided through Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, Canada. The fund supports research to increase food security in developing countries while fostering collaboration between developing countries’ researchers and Canadian experts.