The Victims Support Fund (VSF) helped 3,000 small farmers in Borno state by giving them farming supplies to help them grow crops better.
They did this because they believe it’s important for people affected by violence to have access to their farms, so they can have enough food.
The Executive Director of VSF, Prof. Nana Tanko, said that helping farmers is not just about farming, it’s also about making sure people have enough to eat, which is important for the future of the country.
They carefully chose 3,000 farmers from different villages based on how well they farm—1,800 from one area and 1,200 from another.
Each farmer got things like rice seeds, fertilizer, insecticides, herbicides, and tools to help them farm better.
They also trained some people to help farmers in these areas learn new ways to grow food, especially during the dry season when it’s harder to farm because of less rain.
This is part of a bigger plan to help farmers in Borno state because the usual way of farming during the rainy season is not working well anymore due to climate change. They want to help farmers use irrigation to grow crops even when it’s not raining.
The Victims Support Fund has been helping people affected by violence since 2014 in many ways, like helping them rebuild their lives, homes, and schools.
“When we went around the town, we discovered that it is a community that is adequately engaged in dry-season farming. So, they have no doubt that the items brought will add a lot of value to the farmers. You see, people have come back to their ancestral communities. This is the last major event to be implemented by VSF in Borno state, so it means a lot to the VSF.”
The Governor of Borno state, Babagana Umara Zulum, said that helping farmers like this will not only give them more food but also make the state’s economy stronger.
He said that Borno state depends a lot on farming, so supporting farmers is important for everyone.
The governor’s representative, the Commissioner of Agriculture, thanked VSF for their help and encouraged farmers to use the supplies wisely to grow more food.
“I urge you to make good use of the farm inputs given to you and make your communities have enough food.”
Some of the farmers who got the supplies said they were grateful and promised to use them to grow more food for their communities.
