The Oyo State Government has directly supported over 9,000 of the most vulnerable crop and poultry farmers affected by COVID-19 to restore their livelihoods, improve their resilience to the crisis and secure the domestic food supply in Oyo State.
While the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were widespread and far-reaching, smallholder farmers most of whom rely on on-farm activities for sustenance faced severe income shocks with the crisis disrupting all of their opportunities.
His Excellency, Engr Seyi Makinde recognising that smallholders are the backbone of the state’s agriculture sector, strategically turned the crisis into an opportunity to boost the quality of local produce, and for improving and accelerating livelihood recovery of vulnerable households.
An assessment conducted by the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency (OYSADA) indicated the priority needs of the smallholders, including agricultural inputs and assets for production.
Having acknowledged these priority needs, the government’s COVID Response coordinated by OYSADA through the COVID-19 Taskforce on Food Security supported the worst affected small-scale producers in all 33 LGAs and 35 LCDAs of Oyo State to rebuild and recover in the post-crisis period.
In addition to contributions from well-meaning individuals and organisations, the Government procured seed – maize, cassava and tomatoes – and fertilizer and pesticides to support the most affected small-scale farmers.
Under the leadership of OYSADA more than 9,000 cassava, maize, tomato and poultry farmers received an agricultural stimulus and resilience package composed of fertilizers, herbicides and climate resilient seeds; these are high yielding, and high nutritional value varieties that will help farmers achieve good production and secure their incomes.
A dedicated ICT platform – Oyo DigitalAg – was developed and deployed to capture biometrics and identification details of beneficiary farmers, providing government with an improved basis for better decision making and targeted interventions.
The response highlights Governor Makinde’s commitment to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on smallholders’ farming activities and domestic food supply.
“I have to thank the Governor of Oyo State Engr Seyi Makinde for giving us these palliatives,” Prince Bamishe Alabi, a poultry and cassava farmer from ward 7 in Oyo East LGA said.
“It will help in eradicating the unwanted weeds in our farms and also the degree of maize given to us is of a high quality which I believe will yield a very good product at the end of the day.”
“The Governor has encouraged us by doing this,” Adefemi Stephen Olalekan from Ibadan South West LGA added.
“I have never seen any Governor do this before. This is an encouragement to all the men and women in Oyo State, the quality of inputs will encourage me to extend my farm.”
“We appreciate the programme because the governor of Oyo State is helping people in the State. Those that are less privileged will use this opportunity to improve their agricultural production,” Akere Job in Orire LGA said.
“It will help us so much because those of us unable to afford chemicals with this it will assist us in improving our agricultural production.”
There was also training for smallholders on improved food production practices, including effective application of fertilizer and agro-chemicals. These activities are intended to safeguard smallholders’ pre-COVID gains in food security, better market access and increased income.
