The Nationwide Root Crops Analysis Institute (NRCRI) in Umudike, Abia State, concluded its two-day 2025 Annual Assessment and Planning Workshop on April 10, stressing the necessity to maintain agricultural practices centered on root and tuber crops to handle Nigeria’s meals safety challenges.
The workshop, themed “A Sustainable Future for Nigeria’s Agriculture: Give attention to Root and Tuber Crop,” gathered researchers, farmers, and stakeholders to debate options to international and native meals calls for.
NRCRI Government Director Professor Chiedozie Egesi, in his opening deal with, reviewed the institute’s work, stating, “It’s evident that we (NRCRI) made outstanding strides in advancing agricultural analysis and improvement throughout Nigeria and Africa, notably within the root and tuber crops subsector and our collaboration with numerous companions, aligned with Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Meals and Diet Safety, poverty alleviation and wealth creation in Nigeria, has yielded vital milestones.”
The Minister of Agriculture and Meals Safety, Senator Abubakar Kyari, represented by Abia State Coordinator Dr. Aloysius Mba, opened the workshop, urging collaboration throughout sectors.
He stated, “Analysis should proceed to seek out modern options, resembling creating drought-resistant varieties and using sustainable farming practices that may face up to the assorted shocks we face,” addressing challenges like local weather change, pests, inhabitants development, and shifting dietary patterns.
The workshop highlighted the potential of Excessive High quality Cassava Peel (HQCP) as a livestock feed different, noting its financial and gender fairness advantages.
Individuals, together with previous NRCRI leaders and retired administrators, really helpful selling built-in pest administration, natural farming, and agroecological strategies to cut back agrochemical use and improve meals security.
Additionally they advocated for monetary and technical assist to scale HQCP initiatives, notably for girls, and partnerships amongst educational, analysis, and trade our bodies to develop options like biopesticides from root and tuber crops.
Additional suggestions included utilizing nanocellulose from agricultural waste to enhance soil nutrient retention, coaching farmers on cassava peel processing, and launching consciousness campaigns to advertise HQCP and sustainable feed alternate options whereas creating market pathways for livestock feed producers.
Dr. Chris Dimkpa from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station delivered the keynote paper, stating that “to handle the worldwide meals insecurity arising from growing meals demand, agricultural manufacturing should improve by 70-100% by 2050 attributable to inhabitants development.” Dr. Iheanacho Okike from the Worldwide Institute of Tropical Agriculture introduced on HQCP, noting its position in addressing feed shortage and probably producing 200,000 jobs.
Goodwill messages got here from Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti, represented by Commissioner for Agriculture Dr. Cliff Agbaeze, in addition to representatives from the Federal Faculty of Agriculture, Ishiagu, IITA Ibadan, Sahel Consulting, and HRM Eze Ben Oriaku, Chairman of the Land donor of NRCRI Umudike.
The discussions underscored the necessity for collective motion to align with initiatives just like the Federal Authorities’s Inexperienced Crucial Challenge for sustainable agriculture and meals safety.
