No fewer than 36,000 farmers have benefitted in the third phase of the implementation of the Gombe State Covid-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus programme by the Fadama unit (also known as result area two in the GO-CARES programme of the state Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry) with improved agricultural inputs and assets.
This was disclosed by the state Project Coordinator of Fadama, Dr Babayo Makka, at the distribution of the items to the benefitting farmers of the third phase at the premises of the Gombe State Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry recently.
Makka commended Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, for the prompt release of funds to delivery platforms and creating an enabling environment for the project to thrive, while describing him as supportive.
He said, “Out of the 36,300 beneficiaries, 31,000 farmers were supported with improved agricultural inputs of maize, agro-chemicals, fertilisers and poultry production, including food assistance of rice and noodles to improve on their livelihood.”
“Similarly, 2,800 poor and vulnerable farmers including women and youth were supported with agricultural assets of water pumps, grinding machines and small ruminants to improve their capacity for food production and small scale primary processing to mitigate food loss and waste.”
According to the Project Coordinator, four culverts and eight earth dams were equally rehabilitated under the third phase of the programme, where 2,500 direct beneficiaries of the infrastructures were supported.
The beneficiaries who were full of excitement and appreciation over the gesture, promised to make judicious use of what they were given to recover from the impact of COVID-19 on their livelihoods’.
The mandate of Fadama also known as result area two in the GO-CARES programme, Makka added, “aims to support government interventions that mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security of the poor and vulnerable households and facilitate the safe functioning of food supply chains.”
Makka disclosed that different sets of farmers across the state including women and youth benefitted from the first and second phases of the programme where they received agricultural inputs and assets.
