By Hassan Ibrahim
Women farmers who were trained and provided with improved SEED-CO seeds of soybean by Catalysing Strengthened Policy Action for Healthy Diets and Resilience (CASCADE) Nigeria have celebrated bumper harvest in Bauchi State.
The CASCADE Nigeria projects in collaboration with SEED-CO and with sponsorship of CARE International and Ministry of Foreign Affairs selected women farmers in Bauchi and Jigawa states.
Speaking during a Mega Field Day at one of beneficiaries farms at Birshin Fulani in Bauchi, a Technical Officer CASCADE in Bauchi Ifeoma Opara, said that the main objective of the project is empower women on soybean production and make awareness of some food value chain specifically on soyabean.
Opara explained that Mega Field Day is meant to demonstrate and guide the farmers on modern soybean farming and also educate the women on the best storage techniques and turning soyabean into nutritious for running their day-to-day households.
One of the beneficiaries, Hauwa Abdullahi, said that apart from the training during the workshop, "SEED-CO takes to our respective farms and guides us on how to plant an improved soybean seeds. We planted the soyabean seeds provided by SEED-CO and subsequently we applied fertilizer based on their guidance and they also monitored the exercise, especially the type of soil we plant the seeds in.
Hauwa said, "Masha Allahu at the end of it, I am proud of the outcome of this training, the farming because today I witnessed a bumper harvest. I planted 15 ‘mudus’ of improved SEED-CO soyabean seeds and I harvested 15 and half of 100kg of Soyabean. I am extremely happy with the support, knowledge and skills to plant soyabean and free seeds as well as the fertilizer given by SEED-CO Nigeria limited."
"I have already created a group of fellow women to step down the training and invited them to this field day to see for themselves and join the soyabean farming. We are grateful to Cascade and SEED-CO for the empowerment and God's will that we will not disappoint them," Hauwa added.
In his remarks, Head of Marketing SEED-CO John Agbola, said, "We are here together with CASCADE under CARE International with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support women in Soyabean production. This journey started some four months ago where women farmers in Bauchi, were given improved seeds of soyabean (AC SLO1) AC-Signal for them to plant and they were given all inputs and they went around to plant. We also provided Agronomy support including the well trained on agronomic support so that they can achieve bumper harvest."
He continued, "Afterwards they went to the field to practicalist all of these activities and throughout the process we also supported them with extension services to ensure that they apply fertilizer at the right time, they do the proper weeding and proper field management. At the end of it three months down the line we are excited that these women were able to achieve bumper harvest. On just an acre of plot they are getting 10 to 15 bags of soyabean which is a very good one."
Agbola further explained, "These projects is to support households nutrition to ensure that these women drive all the nutritional benefits soyabean, adding, "we have a different use of the soyabean, the soya milk, the soyabean and other food preparation from soyabean and we are excited that the women, their efforts and resilient has paid up, they themselves are proud of themselves."
"This is one key thing that CASCADE and other partners were able to achieve and we are excited that the women shared their testimonial. We are also proud that the women have also produced soya milk and local Awara from soyabean which shows that the project is a success and we are happy that these women are game changers.
Agbola said, "We are in Bauchi to celebrate these women for their efforts, their resilience and the bumper harvest and after a journey of three months they have a success story to tell themselves. We are here to celebrate their bumper harvest, we are also here to see for ourselves the field and success story. The soyabean that was planted is quite different from the local variety that has been planted.
"This improved soybean the number of pots on its stand is a lot and that's why it is translating to high yield. We are to celebrate their efforts after three months because bumper harvest can speak for itself and for other women to see and take learning to adopt these Agronomy practices that translated to all these successes we are seeing today," he said.
Agbola further disclosed that the improved soyabean seeds can be planted for both rainfed and dry season farming, "It has the opportunity to plant for dual season in as much as there is a source of water for the irrigation and the interesting part part of these is that they actually get a good return for investment regardless of anything they spend on this harvest."
He said that the women that planted this seed speaks about the number of bags they get which is close to 15 bags on just an acre of land that means if they go for irrigation farming it will help them to be able to produce all year round putting more money in their pocket and having resources for the family to consume because soyabean is use for different purposes and as of today soyabean market readily available and the price of soyabean is good and looking at the high yield.
"We expect them in the future to sustain what they have been taught because sustainability is key and to continue all the good agronomy practices and see the differences between modern agronomy practices is better than the local ones. Additionally we expect that these women will be able to step down this knowledge they've gained to other women because it is like a chain reactions that started with few women across the state now we believe that with the good testimonial they recording today is a reactions to other women to pick up these adoption and do better," Agbola added.
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