A team of eleven consultants from the Federal government-International
Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, project has held a  one day
interactive session with farmers in the first five benefiting Local
Government areas of the Federal Government IFAD-VCDP programme.
The interactive session is aimed at stepping up women participation in
the exercise.


The team saddled with the responsibility of generating data for proper
designing of IFAD-VCDP additional financing that will commence next
year  interacted with benefiting farmers at Ayamelum, Anambra East and
West,  Awka North and Orumba North Local Government areas.
Addressing farmers at Omor, Ayamelum Local Government area,  the team
leader,  Dr. Benjamin Odoemena said they aim at stepping up women
participation from the present thirty-six percent to above fifty, as
well as identify  the factors that are mitigating against cassava
farming,  regretting  that cassava is not doing  well as rice, the two
crops they are intervening on.
Dr. Odoemena expressed  satisfaction   with  the level of poverty reduction as
testified by the rural farmers.
He advised  them to get their international passports ready as they
may be called upon any time for overseas trip to share their
experiences with those that are still learning. 
In a remark, the Transition Committee Chairman for Ayamelum Local
Government Area,  Mr Benjamin Onyeabor, thanked IFAD for assisting and
building farmers capacity assuring them of their unalloyed support

The state Programme Coordinator,  Federal Government -IFAD-VCDP, Mr.
Nnamdi Agwuncha who said that the importance of women cannot be under
estimated  in this present day family,  announced that FGN/IFAD VCDP
additional financing targets to engage fifty thousand women.

Mr. Agwuncha listed development of more lands and plotting same to
women by government at all levels, establishment of processing centres
 reduced drudgery and development of their capacity to turning waste
into wealth as some of the major ways to increase women participation.

In their separate submissions , some of the farmers   including the
Ayamelum Apex chairman, Mr. Peter Emeka and a cassava farmer, Mrs.
Anthonia Ogbuagu, who announced their desire to have more women
participation in the programme, appealed for the establishment of more
processing centres, high yielding cassava species, market linkages,
expansion of cassava value chain and aggressive sensitization and
capacity building.