CASCADE ATBU Model Farm sensitises women on nutrition

Catalyzing strengthened Policy Action for Healthy Diets and Resilience (CASCADE) through it’s farmers field and business school project is focused on empowering women towards addressing Malnutrition at the community and household level and advocating for greater government engagement for sustainable food systems.

The Program manager of CASCADE, Mr. Isaac Ishaya Audu who stated this in his remarks during the farmers field day held at the CASCADE Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) model farm at Gubi Campus Bauchi on Saturday added that the organisation is empowering women through nutrition sensitive agriculture so that they can grow nutritious crops to address the menace of malnutrition in the states of Bauchi, Jigawa, kebbi and Nassarawa.

According to him, “I want to use this opportunity to establish a brief as to what CARE International is doing on the CASCADE program together with the university. We signed a 10 million Euros intervention together with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to target 1.1 million women of reproductive age with children under -13 across the states of Bauchi,Jigawa, kebbi and Nasarawa mainly to strengthen efforts in addressing Malnutrition through a multi- sectoral approach “.

He added that CASCADE employs multiple advocacy strategies, from sub-national to national and global levels, to strengthen policy implementation of nutrition-related policies. It draws on CARE’s and GAIN’s approaches, focusing on social accountability, good governance, health system strengthening, multisectoral coordination, resource mobilisation, private sector engagement and climate-resilient agricultural practices.

The project manager emphasised Agronomic Practices for Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) and Vegetable production,as part of CASCADE’s commitment towards empowering women through Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture programme .

Audu explained that CARE globally leads an approach called Farmer field day and business school which is used to support climate resilient practices among small holder Farmers.

He noted that CASCADE has conducted a train the trainers for Faculties to provide technical back stopping to Agricultural development programs staff in the four states it is implementing the project.

“We are working closely with Association of Deans of Faculties of Agriculture in selected universities who are to lead the process of scaling up this approach into their faculty curriculum so that in the long run students will come out with the clear extension technology that they can impact their communities in terms of addressing access to extension information which is a challenge “.

CASCADE he stated is working with academic institutions to break the technology gap to back stop the ADPs in terms of field level implementation.

According to him, “this we are doing with cross private sectors which on the site,we have the East -West Seeds that is leading technically on the vegetables market system.

The program manager said consuming what is grown within our neighborhood will bring lasting solutions to the problem of malnutrition in the states .

” What we are trying to promote is actually is a lasting solution to Malnutrition through agriculture as a beacon of hope that could provide that solution we are actually looking for “, he added.

During the Farmers field day the University showcased crop varieties like okra, eggplant, onion, pumpkin and gboma sika.

The small holder women Farmers were shown how to prepare the nutritious green vegetables that were harvested from the farm.

Speaking on behalf of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Dr Rashida Abdulmumin said the crops will help the women improve their household nutrition and also as a source of income generation.

“For those who don’t have enough space to do back yard gardening they can grow crops in sacs and plastic containers, today the experts have shown you good agricultural practices that will assist you get better yields”.

Dr Rashida Abdulmumin advices the women to step it down to their communities.

Dean faculty of Agriculture ATBU Bauchi, Prof Ambrose Adze Amba said the model farm will help students acquire knowledge and skills to scale up the approach in their various communities.

Bauchi State commissioner of Agriculture, Dr Iliyasu Aliyu Gital acknowledged that the Farmers field day and business school is an approach that will help the State fight malnutrition. END