Showcasing innovations for the Kofa community in Nigeria
Demonstrations of an animal-drawn single row groundnut harvester and a drone for data collection were the highlights at a field day in Nigeria.
The drone used in the Kofa STARS (Spurring a Transformation for Agriculture through Remote Sensing) project showed how the data obtained is used to generate advisory services for farmers on crop health management (fertilizers, disease and insect pests, drought, erosion, etc).
Various other farm and post-harvest implements such as multipurpose seed planters, multipurpose threshers (sorghum, millet, maize), hammer mills (for grains), groundnut grinder/oil extraction machines and sorghum/millet stalk choppers were also demonstrated.
In his address, Dr Hakeem Ajeigbe, ICRISAT Nigeria Country Representative, said that the machines are meant to assist farmers, women groups and youth not just in their personal farming ventures, but also to be used as a source of income by hiring them out. He encouraged the youth to consider a career in agriculture which included providing services for different agricultural operations.
The animal-drawn groundnut harvester was designed by Mr Aliyu Adinoyi, Senior Research Technician, ICRISAT.
The field day was attended by over 168 participants including 38 women farmers; scientists from Zonal Advanced Space Technology Application Laboratory (ZASTAL) led by the Officer in Charge, Dr Ibrahim Tudunwada; partners from Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA) led by Dr Sani Momale, representative of Kano State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority; representatives of College of Agriculture, Danbatta; and traditional leaders from Kofa and other communities.
The event, held on 19 November, was organized by CDA, ZASTAL and ICRISAT. Dr Anthony Whitbread, Director, Research Program – Resilient Dryland Systems, who was on an official visit to Nigeria was the special guest.
Dr Whitbread also delivered a talk ‘Strategic and tactical climate risk management in rainfed semi-arid cereal systems: Examples from Australia and India’ at the Student Studio, Faculty of Agriculture Bayero University Kano, Nigeria. It was attended by over 100 participants including scientists, students and staff of CDA and faculty of Agriculture, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria.
