An NGO, Anneozeng Ogozi Aid Foundation (AOAF) said it has introduced sustainable agricultural intervention project for the residents of Kaida community, Gwagwalada Area Council to improve their livelihoods.
Mrs Anneozeng Ogozi, Executive Director of the NGO, said this on Tuesday in the community at the commencement of the harvest from the six- month inclusive and sustainable Kaida community beniseed farm project.
She said that the beniseed agricultural project was cultivated and being harvested in conjunction with the leaders and members of the community.
Ogozi said that the proceeds from the sale of the beniseed would be geared towards empowering families and residents in the community.
According to her, the project aims at improving their farming techniques to achieve bountiful harvest, increase revenue, boost their livelihood and gradually provide basic amenities for the community.
“Kaida is a community with a population of over 9,000 inhabitants, but yet they lack basic amenities to live a normal life; they do not have toilets, schools, good source of water or good medical health centre.
“As an organisation, we came to know about the community through reports of harmful practices and extreme cases of poverty and the under development they were facing.
“After several advocacy visits, the organisation decided to come up with a sustainability plan called Kaida community agricultural intervention plan, where the community provided ten hectares of land and we started the process.
“We got improved seeds of beniseed to make them get better harvest than the regular seeds, we got tractors to clear the land, planted, weed the grasses and today, we are harvesting beniseed,’’ she narrated.
Ogozi said that the organisation was working with the Beniseed Association of Nigeria that would buy the entire proceeds from the farmers and beneficiaries to avoid selling in bits at the local markets.
The AOAF Director added that the foundation was looking forward to the next planting season where various crops such as corn, groundnuts, beans would be planted.
Ms Linda Raji Programme Officer of AOAF said that part of the organisation’s goals for the intervention project was to address the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) two and 13.
“The NGO is conscious of the SDG goal two which is zero hunger and through this project we would be promoting access to food and nutrition.
“We are also conscious of SDG 13, which is climate action and through this project we are ensuring that farmers are not using any harmful chemicals as fertilisers and pesticides control.
“We were able to source for local materials that are not harmful to the community or soil to prevent land degradation and land erosion.
Raji further called on the government and NGOs to partner with the organisation in order to reach out to the Kaida community and other vulnerable communities at a larger scale.
Mr Barka Sarkin Pada, representative of the community chief and a beneficiary, appreciated the foundation for its intervention in the area of agriculture.
“We thank AOAF, God has brought you here, we joined hands together and God has given us success, we pray that this relationship will not die.
“We thank God for putting such an idea in your heart and our children will grow to hear of these good deeds. We pray that we in the Kaida community will be united in this project and be successful.
“We pray that God will continue to bless your foundation and you will grow beyond where you are now.
Mrs Doris Samuel, a farmer and beneficiary of the agricultural project commended the foundation for bringing such a huge project to their community.
She said: “As you can see, we are harvesting the beniseed that was brought to us by the foundation, normally, we farm here but the variety of seeds they brought are improved ones.
“We believe they would improve our resources and our farming of beniseed, it is also going to boost our income because we use it for oil and many other things.”
Mr Andrew Tonak, a clergyman expressed happiness with the bountiful harvest, thanking the foundation for the partnership geared towards improving the socioeconomic status of the residents.
“The organisation came, organised the local farmers in the community and a big beniseed farm was cultivated, mobilised by the foundation in conjunction with the villagers.
“There has been a very good yield and the villagers are harvesting it now. I believe it will go a long way to improve their economic strength and bring them out of poverty.
“I believe in the near future the foundation will do even better than it started,’’ Tonak added.
