The Cross River State Government, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Global Environment Facility (GEF-7) and the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR-NG) Programme, has commenced a Train-the-Trainers workshop to strengthen extension service delivery and promote sustainable, climate-smart production of cocoa, oil palm and food crops across the state.
The capacity-building programme is designed to equip agricultural extension officers with modern knowledge and practical skills that will enable farmers maximise the state’s diverse farming seasons, adopt climate-resilient production techniques and improve productivity through adherence to recommended crop production protocols.
Declaring the workshop open on behalf of the Commissioner for Agriculture and Irrigation Development, Hon. Johnson Ebokpo, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Elder Dr. Odey Joseph Ikongha, commended the collaboration between the Cross River State Government, FAO and FOLUR-NG, describing the partnership as instrumental in strengthening the capacity of agricultural stakeholders through regular training and technical support.
He expressed confidence that the knowledge acquired during the workshop would cascade to farmers across participating communities, leading to improved agricultural practices, higher yields and increased resilience to the effects of climate change.
Dr. Ikongha also appreciated Governor Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu for creating an enabling environment that has encouraged productive partnerships with development organisations, assuring that the Ministry would continue to foster collaboration aimed at transforming the state’s agricultural sector.
Delivering a goodwill message, the Commissioner for International Donor Coordination, Elder Dr. Hippolatus Ogar Lukpata, lauded Governor Otu’s purposeful leadership, noting that the administration’s support for development partners had accelerated progress across several sectors of the state’s economy. He described the training as timely and critical to strengthening sustainable agricultural development in Cross River.
Participants were taken through a series of technical sessions covering climate change and global warming, the impact of climate change on agriculture and food security, adaptation and mitigation strategies in the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector, climate-smart cocoa and oil palm agroforestry systems, gender equality in climate-resilient agriculture, and protection against sexual exploitation and abuse.
The workshop attracted key stakeholders, including the National Project Coordinator of FOLUR-NG, Prof. Oladapo Akinyemi; the Project Chief Technical Adviser, Prof. Adebayo Shittu; and the State Project Coordinator, Mr. Cletus Ogbidi. Resource persons were drawn from the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) and various universities, while participants included extension officers, farmers and community representatives from the eight local government areas where the FOLUR-NG project is being implemented.
By Iloke Egbe
