By Moses Kolo
Farmers in Kaduna say Kaduna Ginger Project, a programme initiated to eliminate child labour has improved their farming practices and revived ginger production, after years of losses caused by ginger blight.
In follow-up interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the farmers said the project had transformed practices and strengthened efforts on eliminating child labour in ginger production.
The project was organised by the Christian Rural and Urban Development Association of Nigeria (CRUDAN) and the Fair Labour Association (FLA).
According to many of them, the project marked a turning point after a fungal disease ravaged ginger farms across Southern Kaduna, which forced many out of business, with huge financial losses and uncertainty.
Mr Jonathan Bako, a ginger farmer from Jaba Local Government Area, said before joining the project, many farming families depended on children’s participation during peak farming activities.
”Most of us did not deliberately involve children because we wanted to exploit them. It was simply the traditional way of farming.
”Through this project, we now understand the dangers of child labour and why children belong in school instead of spending long hours on the farm.
”We have also learnt safer and better ways of organising farm activities, by engaging adult labour where necessary, while ensuring that our children concentrate on their education.
”That knowledge alone has changed many families in our community,” he said.
Mrs Ruth Yakubu, a beneficiary from Kachia Local Government Area, said women farmers benefited immensely from the project.
She said they were trained on good agricultural practices, disease prevention, proper handling of ginger after harvest and the use of improved planting materials.
Yakubu added that improved ginger seeds were distributed under the project, and had renewed the confidence of many farmers after the blight outbreak.
”The difference is already becoming evident. We are seeing healthier crops and expecting better harvests. We only hope this intervention will continue so that more farmers can benefit,” she said.
Similarly, Mr Samuel Gambo, a farmer from Kagarko Local Government Area, said the project had encouraged farmers to embrace modern farming.
The farmers, he said, now view agriculture as a business that requires proper planning and responsible labour practices.
According to him, farmers now appreciate that protecting children’s rights and improving productivity are complementary goals, adding that many communities keep children in school.
He stressed that they now engage adults for labour-intensive farming operations.
On his part, Mr Michael Agon, the Project Coordinator of CRUDAN, said the initiative had succeeded in raising awareness on child labour.
He explained that they promoted decent working conditions for children involved in agricultural communities and supported the distribution of improved ginger seeds to participating farmers.
Agon said the project also strengthened farmers’ capacity through training on good agricultural practices and encouraged farming communities to adopt sustainable measures to improve productivity.
The farmers appealed to the Federal and Kaduna State Governments, as well as development partners to expand the initiative to more ginger-producing communities.
They appealed for continued access to improved seedlings, extension services, mechanisation and affordable credit.
The farmers maintained that sustaining such interventions will improve household incomes and protect children’s rights, while also accelerating the recovery of Kaduna’s ginger industry. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Aisha Ahmed and Yakubu Uba