LIFE-ND Project launch Agribusiness Innovative Forum in Delta for food security

With the aim to ensure food security in the state, Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise in the Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) Project has launched the Delta State LIFE-ND Agribusiness Innovative Forum (LAbIF) with an appeal to the major stakeholders to avail their services to farmers in the State.

Speaking Monday in Asaba during the launch of the Delta State LIFE-ND Agribusiness Innovative Forum (LAbIF), the National officer of LIFE-ND Project, Dr. Clement Owen, said that the appeal was necessary as the farmers, who were trained by the LIFE-ND Project in the State need adequate support to have the wherewithal that would enable them to put into practice the various skills they had acquired to enable them to earn a living and positively impact food production in the state.

He disclosed that no less than 4,373 persons have benefitted from the LIFE-ND Project in Delta State, stating that the project has found its feet and impacted lives positively.

He said the key objectives and achievements of LAbIF are to create the necessary market linkages that would connect small producers with key actors ensure that farmers in the State have better access to markets, and reduce the risk of surplus and price instability.

According to Owen, “These young farmers need your assistance and services; they do not have the money, but they have been trained by us. So, be nice to do all you can, with the aid of your products and services to help them stand on their feet in their chosen agricultural value chain”.

He mooted that the beneficiaries were educated on the agricultural value chain in which Delta State has a comparative advantage, such as Fisheries, Cassava production/processing, poultry, and oil palm production.

He gave an overview of the structure, objectives, and importance of LAbIF, stressing that Nigeria, Delta State, and the entire Niger Delta region must embrace Agribusiness and eat what they grow as Food Security is becoming a daily challenge.

In addition, he said, LAbIF was committed to fostering trust and cooperation among stakeholders in the agricultural sector, creating a platform for sharing innovative solutions and best practices, and building stronger institutional structures that would address the challenges faced by smallholder farmers, among others.

In his remark, the Delta State Project Coordinator of the LIFE-ND Project, Mr. Collins Ashoro, took the participants through the history of the LIFE-ND Project, its objectives, and landmark achievements.

Among them, he said, is to employ agriculture to the youth and women-headed households in the Niger Delta region, address the issue of food security, and many more.
In particular, Mr. Ashoro mentioned the beauty and success of the “Incubator- incubator” model in changing the lives of farmers in Delta State, which has produced no less than 4,373 trained farmers.

The climax of the launch was the election/inauguration of a committee to manage the affairs of LAbIF in the State and the cutting of the cake to formalize the launch.

Members of the committee are Mrs. Fidelia Owens (Chairperson), Mr. Olaibi Olareulaju (Vice Chairperson), Mr. Chuks Dibiagu (Secretary), Mr. Sibero Christopher (Financial Secretary), and Mrs. Gloria Okolie (Auditor).
Others are Mrs. Mordi Grace (Women Leader), Ikie Ogheneume (PRO), and Ekiokenegha Goodluck (Youth Leader).

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