Some stakeholders in the Niger Delta region have listed some key challenges facing agriculture in the region.
Some of the challenges include, environmental pollution occasioned by oil exploration and exploitation, lack of interest in Agriculture by youth in the region, the poor land tenure system and insufficient capital.
Rising from a one day workshop tagged, ‘Technology and Agriculture in Niger Delta Synergies, Prospects, Challenges and Solutions, organised by Stakeholders Democratic Network in conjunction with Ken-Saro Wiwa Innovation Hub in Port Harcourt, the stakeholders also called for improvement in agricultural technology so as to encourage the people, particularly the youth, to go into farming in the region.
They noted that the continuous involvement of youths in the region in oil bunkering, cultism and other nefarious activities was becoming an embarrasment to the region.
The stakeholders also expressed concern over the incessant invasion of farmlands by Fulani herdsmen, while calling for the provision of storage facilities in the region.
The Country Director, Stakeholders Democratic Network (SDN) Dr. Christopher Onosode urged the people of the region to see agriculture as the next alternative source of livelihood as the era of oil was gone.
Dr. Onosode said that one of the ways of doing this, was for the people to have a change of mindset, from the way things were currently being done in the region.
“There is need to shift our mindset on how our youths engaged with each other and there rneed for more orientation, to refocus their mindset to agriculture,” he said.
Also speaking, the guest speaker Mr. Ilugo Cletus urged the people to see Agriculture as a means of livelihood by engaging in it.
In his speech, the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Amadi Chijioke Grant, said that the state government was ready to support anyone going into agriculture.
King Onunwor & John Bibor