Poverty alleviation: The FG, IFAD LIFE-ND approach
By Felicia Imohimi, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
“Never in my life did l believe I could earn a living let alone living a sustainable life“. This is the testimony of Mr Esemiteye Erukoghene, 35 years, from Uwheru, Ugheli North Local Government Area, Delta. He is living with a disability.
Erukoghene is one of the beneficiaries of the IFAD Livelihood Improvement and Family Enterprises in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND).
“As a person with disability, the programme has helped me a lot because initially when l had this accident feeding was a problem and depended on my father and siblings for daily bread.
“Since I was enlisted into the programme I can boast that l cannot depend on anybody for survival but rather proceed from my farm,” said
Moses Azibalua, another person living with disability and resident of Imiringi Community, Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa said his life has been transformed from being financially dependent to self-reliance.
Azibalua said he found life and a reason to live through LIFE-ND.
“The project not only granted him the opportunity to be trained on layers production for three months in Veejay Farms but also empowered me and other beneficiaries with 150 birds and 19 bags of feed after the training.
“The project paid everything concerning the programme and even supported us with transportation to the training centre for three months.
“Now, with what I get from selling from my farm I have been financially stable. I thank LIFE-ND for the programme and urge them to continue so that others can benefit also.
“My life has turn around, I thank LIFE-ND and other partners for bringing this programme to the downtrodden,” Azibalua told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
LIFE-ND is a project of the Federal Government and the IFAD in collaboration with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as well as participating states.
It is targeted at disadvantaged youths and women-headed households in the rural and suburban communities.
It is purposely for transforming the rural economy, enhancing income, creating jobs, boosting food security and empowering rural youth and women through agribusiness enterprise development in a sustainable manner for the Niger Delta region.
Another beneficiary, an unemployed housewife
Rita Iluma, from Bayelsa said LIFE-ND has greatly impacted on her, describing it as a game changer for her.
She explained that she was elated having been selected for the programme, adding that after the interview they were trained for about three months on fish farming later on given 1000 fish and 50 bags of feed.
My life turned around from then on because everything was happening fast, another beneficiary, Pat Oki from Njedo, community in Delta State told NAN.
Oki said she was captured in the programme in 2021.
“I was in a tricycle when I heard that there is a programme that wants to empower people. So, I called my sister doing fishery at Urukpoghene and she told me she was already there filling forms.
“The man in charge asked if I was interested, adding that the programme is not an easy one. I said that I am interested and I was enrolled.
Oki said at the moment she has 1500 fishes ready for sale and smaller ones.
“God will bless LIFE-ND and whoever that initiated this programme God will bless them and all participants.
“My life has turned around for the better. Generations will benefit from what they have started,” she said.
Gloria Isito from Ogigba Community in Orhionmwon LGA, Edo, said she joined the programme in 2021 with training on cassava farming at the end of every participant was given N160, 000, fertiliser, chemicals and cassava stems.
Isito said they were given cassava stems, fertilizer and all the chemicals needed for the farming, adding that it has helped her to scale up her farming.
“The project is really encouraging, in December 2022 they took.us to Sapele for training so that we can know about standardization, measurement weight and others.
”So, now l am harvesting and selling’’, said another cassava farmer, Philomina Arimukwu an NCE holder.
Mrs Mary Asara a trainer on Fish farming said beneficiaries were trained on how to breed fish from fingerlings to selling stage.
Asara said they were also taught how to clean up the ponds before stocking fingerlings and their medication requirements, among others.
“They were given one thousand fingerlings and 50 bags of fish each, they had gloves, boot and stipends of N15,000 each, “she said.
The project is targeted at nine states in Niger Delta region and currently implemented in six states of Abia, Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, Cross Rivers and Ondo.
Akwa-Ibom, Rivers and Imo supposed to be funded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) would join later.
Dr Abiodun Sanni, National Programme Coordinator, FG/IFAD LIFE-ND said the project which has 12 years duration is targeted at 32,500 beneficiaries.
He said no fewer than 15,960 youth and women have so far benefited from it.
Giving the breakdown of the beneficiaries across the states, he said 2,379 women-headed households and youths had been reached in Abia, 2,349 in Bayelsa, Cross River 2,370, Delta 2373, Edo 2, 330 and Ondo 2,354.
Sanni said the project covered staple crops of rice, cocoa, cassava, oil palm, plantain, poultry and fishery.
“The project promotes community-based on-farm and off-farm business activities along key agricultural value chains as a mechanism for job creation among unemployed youths and women-headed households.
“The project implemented in nine states in the Niger Delta focuses on agricultural communities which are cocoa, plantain, palm oil, cassava, rice, poultry and fishery.
“The overall goal is to realise a transformed rural economy in which the rural population can derive prosperity and equal benefits.
“The objectives are to enhance income, achieve food security and job creation for rural youth and women through agri-enterprise development on a sustainable basis in the region,” he said. (NANFeatures)
**If used please credit the writer and News Agency of Nigeria.
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