National Coordinator, Fadama III Additional Financing Project, Mr Tayo Adewumi, says sustainability is paramount in the implementation of the project to ensure that the achievements recorded are maintained.
Adewumi told newsmen on Tuesday, April 3, 2018 in Gwagwalada, Abuja, that several measures had been put in place to ensure that the project was sustained at the end of its implementation.
He said the constitution of the Federated Fadama Community Association (FFCA) was one of the measures put in place to ensure the sustainability of the project.
The National Coordinator said the FFCA was constituted to bring farmers together to see themselves as one family with the same economic interest.
He said the association was constituted to also eliminate the activities of middlemen in the agricultural value chain.
According to him, members of FFCA are representatives of the various farming groups and are expected to mentor and provide technical assistance to members of their groups.
“That is why we are encouraging Federated Fadama Community Association to take over the project at the end of its implementation,” he said.
He said another measure to ensure the sustainability of the project was the concluded plans to establish pilot Fadama Market in the FCT.
Adewumi said the market would serve as a hub for the aggregation and trading on agricultural produce and input sourcing for all Fadama groups across the country.
According to him, with the market, farmers in the six geo-political zones can bring their produce and go back with what they want because of commodity exchange opportunity in the market.
He said the Fadama Graduate Unemployed Youths and Women Scheme (Fadama GUYS), initiative was another measure aimed at creating employment and sustaining the project.
Adewumi said the youths under the initiative would replace aging farmers in the various groups.
