Stakeholders validate Zero Hunger project baseline study report for Benue and Ebonyi states

Lead farmers and extension agents in Nigeria’s Benue (cassava farmers) and Ebonyi (rice farmers) states have validated the IITA-led Zero Hunger project baseline study report for the two states. The validation exercise was conducted in Makurdi on 17 August 2022 at the Center for Food Technology and Research, Benue State University Makurdi (CEFTER-BSU) for Benue State, and in Abalaki on 23 August at the Ebonyi Agricultural Development Programme (EBADEP) office for Ebonyi State.

The Zero Hunger project in Nigeria is a three-year IFAD-funded project implemented in three states—Benue, Ebonyi, and Ogun—in Nigeria and two regions (Kara and Plateaux) in Togo with a target of 35,000 direct and 500,000 indirect beneficiaries. It seeks to increase rice and cassava farming system productivity and improve nutrition by adopting locally developed and tested agricultural technologies and innovative crop management practices leveraging on two pillars, “technology and innovation” and “policy analysis and policy engagement”. In realizing these objectives, it was necessary to identify and address specific challenges faced by stakeholders along commodity value chains, hence the baseline survey and subsequent validation by stakeholders.

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