GAIN empowers 1,760 rural farmers

Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Nigeria has empowered a total of 1,760 rural farmers with inputs for the establishment of home gardens in four targeted local government areas of Benue State.

State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Prof Moses Ogbaji, at the launching yesterday in Makurdi, noted that the project aimed to enhance household access to nutritious foods grown within the confines of their homes, ultimately fostering better health in Benue communities.

Ogbaji expressed his enthusiasm for the GAIN/SNiPS (Strengthening Nutrition in Priority Staples) ‘Home Garden project,’ emphasising its dual purpose of enhancing food security and empowering rural households to cultivate nutritious produce within their own spaces.

Senior Programme Manager for Supply Chain Commercialisation at GAIN, Godwin Ehiabhi, highlighted the project’s broader goals of reaching 5,000 households in Nasarawa, Kaduna and Benue.

He added that collaborating closely with the Diamond Development Initiatives (DDI), GAIN is not only providing essential inputs like Vitamin A potato vines, tomatoes, spinach seeds, water cans, and organic fertilizers but also imparting knowledge and technologies for effective home garden management.

An agronomist, Dr. Teryima Iorlamen, assured stakeholders and beneficiaries that his team would diligently monitor the SNiPS home garden project, stressing that their efforts will include enlightening target communities and stakeholders about the project’s goals and objectives, alongside other planned activities related to home garden establishment.