FUGA trains local farmers on Greenhouse farming in Yobe basin

By Muhammad Maitela, Damaturu

A team of Researchers from Federal University Gashua (FUGA) led by the lead Researcher, Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Jajere, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), trained local farmers in Gashu’a of Yobe state, on the importance and role of greenhouse and Drip irrigation farming on the sustainable livelihood of rural families in north east.
The research covered three major components: Evaluation of Farmer’s socio-economic disposition, their knowledge and practices with regard to irrigation water and soil management, field research on water productivity and impact on soil quality using traditional and introduced irrigation scenarios and create greenhouse farming technology awareness as an alternative method to supplement outdoor growing of vegetables to adopt greenhouse farming to mitigate high input vegetable Production in the Yobe basin strengthening food security and sustainable livelihoods.
Prof. Jajere said the training was to raise awareness on the importance of irrigation farming that would improve water productivity, sustain the land and improve farm production to fight food insecurity in the region.
According to him the research was sponsored by World Bank in collaboration with MCRP and it will also build the capacity of many farmers on greenhouse technology which can be scaled-up in the post-project period for sustainable vegetable production and increase in income generation for enhanced livelihood of the local farmers in the region that is bedevilled by the activities of the insurgency for years.
In his paper titled: The Role of Greenhouse and Drip Irrigation farming on the Sustainable livelihood of Rural Families, Dr. Ishaku James Dantata, posited that greenhouse farming and vertical farming are becoming timely and important in fighting food security because of the continuous increase in population while the available land for farming is becoming scarce.
According to him, the primary purpose of a greenhouse is to create a manageable, controlled and favourable environment for plant growth, allowing farmers to extend the growing season, protect plants from pest, harsh weather conditions and optimize yields.He said Drip irrigation is the most efficient method of delivering water and nutrients to greenhouse tunnel.