The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) assisted Value Chain Development Proygramme (VCDP) has re-activated the school garden and the nutrition club programmes in Ebonyi state.
The State Programme Coordinator (SPC) of IFAD--VCDP, Sunday Ituma made the disclosure in Abakaliki during the inauguration of the nutrition clubs and presentation of economic tree stands to participating schools.
Ituma said the IFAD--VCDP realises that schools are entry points to agricultural development due to critical roles they play.
"During our boarding--secondary school days, we made ridges, planted crops and the harvest was used to feed us.
"We aim at using this platform to assist benefiting schools to inaugurate school gardens, backed by nutrition clubs.
"We also selected some women from the participating Local Government Areas (LGAs) while supporting the schools with seedlings,".
The SPC noted that two schools were selected per the eight participating LGA's and they must meet certain criterias which include: possession of land meant for cultivation.
"The schools must have agricultural teachers and students who study agriculture to ensure the actualisation of set goals.
"We will support them with high-yielding seedlings with a gestation period of three years.
"We will support them with 80 stands of economic trees which include all season oranges, Malaysian oil palm, France paw-paw, German mango, among others,."
He said that IFAD--VCDP will monitor the cultivation and progress of the economic trees as they were donated at the thick of the rainy season to gain roots.
"IFAD--VCDP attaches importance to nutrition as an important component of its intervention in participating states.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mrs Nkechinyere Iyioku commended IFAD--VCDP for its continued intervention in the state's agricultural sector.
Iyiioku represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Hillary Obiesie said that agrjculture remains the cornerstone of the state's economy and the government identifies efforts to galvanise it.
"We all cultivated in school gardens during our secondary school days and such was used to rate our performances in school.
"The Ebonyi government will support initiatives such as this which will return agrjculture back to the schools," she said.
Miss Obioma Umeh, one of the benefiting students thanked IFAD--VCDP for the initiave. noting that such has ignited her love for agriculture.
Goodwill messages were delivered at the occasion. by the Ebonyi Agrjcultural Development Programme (ADP), resources persons among others.
