The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is to partner with the Kwara State Government on the realization of the State’s agricultural development master plan.

The USAID Country Director, Ms Dana Monsuri, said that the partnership in 2013 is expected to lead to the training of 500 sorghum farmers in Kwara state on modern cultivation methods, group dynamics and leadership in order to build their capacities, while cassava farmers would also be trained on cassava production and field management, as well as access to credit facilities.

Ms Dana Mansuri, during a joint courtesy call with Professors of Agriculture from Cornell University, New York on the Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed, said the areas of cooperation will include building of institutional capacities of farmers, farmer organization and agricultural business associations; strengthening of market linkages for small scale processors as well as the development of the capacities of local service providers.

She added that 5,000 farmers would be mobilized and trained on improved production, have access to quality seeds and agro-inputs as well as link farmers to processors while 198 farmers involved in aqua culture would be trained on water quality management, fish health and disease control.

Other areas of aqua culture training that the farmers would enjoy, according to the USAID Country Director, include training on floating case, tank culture system of tilapia and improved hatchery techniques.

The country director recalled that USAID had also worked with 16,000 farmers in Patigi, Edu and Ilorin South local government areas of the State on improved rice yields, adding that 120 farm groups have been formed.

Leader of the Cornell University team, Ronnie Coffman, who is an International Professor of Plant Breeding and Genetics, in his remarks, said his team was in Kwara State to assist in the implementation of the Kwara State Agricultural Modernisation Master Plan (KAMP) which was jointly developed with the State Government.

He said the Cornell University team will be following up on the essential units of the KAMP such as soil and water analysis, and that it was expected that cooperative groups would be primary means for the implementation of the master plan.

In his remarks, the Kwara State Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed expressed optimism that the partnership with Cornell University and USAID would revolutionize agricultural practice in the State.

Governor Ahmed, who identified poor planning and lack of access to finance as problems facing agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, said KAMP will develop the agriculture value chain in the state and pool innovations in farming in order to accelerate commercial agriculture.

He disclosed that ten farmers from each of the 16 local government areas of the State would be used for a model scheme under KAMP with a focus on rice, cassava, soya and maize cultivation.

“Hopefully, the success of these ten farmers per local government will serve as a learning ground for other farmers and test ground for challenges that will be faced with in the implementation of this programme. One thing which comes out clearly here is that Kwara State is on the path of growth and development in agricultural transformation”, the governor emphasised.

Governor Ahmed promised that his administration would not leave any stone unturned in the transformation of Kwara State into the agricultural hub of Nigeria.