AfDB, BUK centre partners on climate adaption, entrepreneurship to address food security

The African Development Bank (AfDB) says it would partner with Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA), Bayero University Kano, on entrepreneurship and climate adaptation towards addressing food security in Northern Nigeria.

The AfDB Vice President of Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Dr Beth Dunford, made this known on Wednesday when she visited the University Centre for Dry Land Agriculture.

“I am very impressed with the track record of the centre in winning multiple grants and awards and in terms of education” she said.

According to her, agriculture needs to be transformed to provide food security, by using high-level science and technology.

“We see scientists working on improved varieties and soil testing to ensure that farmers are planting the right crops”

“We found out that with the intervention in 2023 with the National Agriculture growth scheme supported by AfDB, we were able to get a heat-tolerant wheat variety

“It would help farmers to plant climate adaptive approved varieties of 150,000 hectres of wheat.

“It would also increase from 2.8 metric tonnes to over 4 tonnes per hectre, to improve livelihood, innovation, entrepreneurship and food production,” Dunford said.

On his part, the Vice Chancellor of BUK, Prof Sagir Adamu-Abbas, commended the AfDB President, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, for his support and contributions to agriculture.

The Director, CDA, Prof Jibrin Mohammed-Jibrin, said the centre was established in 2012 to improve livelihoods, resilience and sustainable use of natural resources in African dry lands through training and demand-driven research.

“The centre has won several grants for research.

“In our immediate environment we have 22 adopted Communities we are working with, but we also work across the dry lands of Nigeria, West and Central Africa,” he said.