It’s heartwarming to witness the transformation taking place in our schools in Cross River State through the Young Farmers and Nutrition Promoter’s Clubs, supported by the FGN/NDDC/IFAD-assisted LIFE-ND Project in the Niger Delta.
At the Start:
When these clubs were inaugurated, students had limited exposure to hands-on vegetable farming. Most had only encountered arable cropping with little understanding of nutrition-focused agriculture. Many couldn’t even identify common vegetables in the field.
Today’s Reality:
Through the IFAD assisted LIFE-ND Project’s tailored interventions:
- Students are now cultivating their own vegetable beds
- They apply basic cultural practices to manage crops like Telfairia (fluted pumpkin), okra, water melon, Orange flesh sweet potato etc.
- They proudly harvest bountiful yields, gaining firsthand experience in sustainable farming
- Their confidence has soared, and so has their understanding of food and nutrition
The Impact:
- Improved nutrition awareness among youths.
- Skill-building for future income-generating opportunities.
- Strengthening of home-school-agriculture linkages.
- Promotion of sustainable farming as a vocation from a young age.
Challenges Persist:
- Dry-season farming is limited by non-functional boreholes
- Pest infestations and high cost of agrochemicals remain a burden
- More training is needed on Good Agronomic Practices (GAP)
What’s Next?
To deepen this impact, there’s a pressing need for support in:
- Rehabilitating water sources for year-round farming.
- Scaling Agro-inputs support.
- Expanding training sessions
- Encouraging students to pass this knowledge to their peers and communities
“Their smiles say it all – this isn’t just farming; it’s a foundation for the future.”
Let’s support and encourage these young champions of agriculture. Together, we can secure nutrition, livelihoods, and sustainable development— one school at a time.
