By Bashir Bello

The Jigawa State government in collaboration with a firm have distributed bio-fortified and climate resilient seeds to no fewer than 30,000 smallholder farmers across 27 local government area of Jigawa state to combat malnutrition and boost food security.

Speaking while flagging off the distribution, the Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi said the Climate-resilient and bio-fortified seeds serve as a double-edged sword dealing with the challenges and ensuring that seeds adapt to climate change and naturally contain all the nutrient elements to ensure healthy growth in people.

Namadi who commended the firm for it continued support, said the varieties seeds will have direct impact on the health and nutrition of thousands in the state.

He described the initiative as a renewed commitment between the government and the farmers working all year round to ensure food security in the state and nation at large.

According to him, “This is by all means a critical and practical step within our overall agricultural transformation agenda with a direct impact beyond agricultural sector. As most of us are aware, we are presently faced with a risk of climate change which manifests in various dimensions including drought, perennial flood, and the unpredictability of the farming season. We also recognize the burden of malnutrition, particularly among children, for which we believe the only lasting solution is food and nutrition security in households, whether in rural or urban communities. Ensuring that seeds are resilient to the climate change and at the same time enhanced with nutrients like vitamins and minerals during the process of crop production, guarantees dealing with this dual challenge of ensuring that seeds adapt to climate change and naturally contain all the nutrient elements to ensure healthy growth of our people. Climate-resilient and bio-fortified seeds therefore serve as a double-edged sword in dealing with these challenges. As most of us are aware, food fortification during plant growth supports improvement in health outcomes by addressing challenges of micronutrient deficiencies, reduce malnutrition, and enhance food security more effectively than other conventional ways of food fortification.

“These specialized seeds are therefore a direct response in empowering our farmers with the tools to confront these challenges head-on and to support our development objectives across other sectors. In other words, this initiative is not a standalone intervention. It forms part of the comprehensive and integrated reform agenda which continues to leverage on synergies across sectors to achieve our common purpose of sustainable improvement in the well-being of our people.This is what our administration is vigorously pursuing for the last two years.

“Notwithstanding, access to quality seeds is also absolutely necessary for maximum impact. Today, we are not only promoting timely access to quality seeds, but as earlier explained, access to seeds of specialized nature that are resilient to climate change and promote food and nutrition security in a very effective and sustainable manner.

“The Governor further commends the efforts of Harvestplus, stating the international organization is very reputable & well-known for its engagement with food policy research. This firm is indeed instrumental to the pioneering work through the brand seed bio-fortification. The outcomes of this effort will greatly and directly impact on the health and nutrition of thousands of our households,” Governor Namadi stated.

Earlier, the Country Manager of HarvestPlus, Dr. Yusuf Dollah Fou’ad said the distribution of the seeds was aimed to grow nutritious staple crops required by the body to live a healthy life.

Fou’ad said the varieties seeds were also climate smart as research had shown that rising temperatures due to climate change is immensely depleting the nutrients in the staple crops.

According to him, “For most of us in Nigeria, when we eat food and fill our stomach, then we say we are satisfied, but that is not satisfaction. Satisfaction is when we eat, even if the food is not much, but it’s able to deliver to our bodies the essential micro nutrient and vitamins that our bodies require for us to live a healthy life. When we continue to eat food that is lacking in these micronutrient and vitamins, we will come up with a situation known as hidden hunger or micro nutrient malnutrition.

“As we work in over 40 countries, we work with our international and national research institutes to develop different varieties of vitamin A enriched sweet potato, vitamin A enriched Cassava, vitamin A enriched maize, iron and zinc enriched millet as well as zinc enriched rice. These varieties are also climate smart. Research had also shown that rising temperatures due to climate change is immensely depleting the nutrients we have in our staple crops, hence the need for us to increase our investment in creating access to these nutritious varieties.

“He added, that the first 1000 days of a child is the most critical stage in the childs life, the child needs the nutrients for brain and body cell development, if a child misses these nutrients at this period, it impairs most especially brain development, and its irreversible, the child will grow into an adult that cannot compete with his peers, he will be less productive and will not live to his full potential. Such brains are easily manipulated.

“This firm has been promoting these nutrient enriched crops in Jigawa state for the past 5 years through support from FCDO but this very activity of reaching out to 30,000 farmers with vitamin A maize and iron and zinc millet in 27 LGAs of Jigawa state is funded by the Latter Days Saints based in the United States, this will include seeds, employment extension agents and training support to farmers as they plant these seeds. These seeds are high yielding, climate smart and have high flour yield when milled. Last 2 years, we also got premier seeds to establish a seed depot in Dutse, so that there will be a increase in access,” the Country Manager, Fou’ad stated.

On his part, the State Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Engr. Auwalu Ibrahim called on the farmers to embrace the improved seed varieties with their two hands.

The distributed varieties seeds which include vitamin A maize and iron and zinc millet were provided through funding by the Latter Days Saints based in the United States.