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Expert wants overhaul of nation’s agriculture practice

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8 Sep 2021 9:07 AM GMT
Expert wants overhaul of nation’s agriculture practice
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Dr Rose Gidado, Country Coordinator, Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), said that for agriculture in Nigeria to meet up with food demand of her fast growing population, there must be a total overhaul. Gidado, also Deputy Director, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), said this in an interview in Abuja on Wednesday. She said the […]

Dr Rose Gidado
OFAB Nigeria Coordinator'

Dr Rose Gidado, Country Coordinator, Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB), said that for agriculture in Nigeria to meet up with food demand of her fast growing population, there must be a total overhaul.

Gidado, also Deputy Director, National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), said this in an interview in Abuja on Wednesday.

She said the overhauling was necessary considering the current trends in agriculture, advising that tackling food security in Nigeria required a multi-combinatorial approach that would reshape the nation’s farming systems.

“Such approach may include but not limited to genetic modification technology and gene editing technology,’’ she said

Gidado also suggested the deployment of precision agriculture into the country which, she said, would help solve food crisis without hitches.

She said precision agriculture could be understood when considered as everything that could facilitate accuracy and precision in farming practices, particularly in terms of crop growth and livestock rearing.

“Apart from making better of our existing farmlands, it also ensures that farmers are enabled with technologies that facilitate the collection and aggregation of data,’’ she said.

According to her, the need for precision agriculture has become imperative as Nigeria’s population is projected to hit 400 million by 2050.

She said the escalating population of the world called for the feeding of a whole lot of people and that precision agriculture was a dependable solution to this.

The expert suggested that for the country to be free from hunger and malnutrition, Nigerian farmers would need to look towards technologies to boost yields while helping to manage costs.

“Precision agriculture is a comprehensive approach,’’ Gidado said.

She explained that a precision farming approach recognised site-specific differences within fields and adjusted management actions accordingly.

She hinted that the world agricultural system was evolving and that Nigeria should not be left behind.

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