Ogun commissioner reels out climate-friendly agric policies

Agricultural scientists and environmental enthusiasts are of the belief that mitigating climate change with agro-allied policies and practices is part of global effort to make agribusinesses sustainable through eco-friendly initiatives. This was the focus as experts spoke on “Prosperity from Climate-Smart Agribusiness with and for Africa” at a webinar organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für […]

Agricultural scientists and environmental enthusiasts are of the belief that mitigating climate change with agro-allied policies and practices is part of global effort to make agribusinesses sustainable through eco-friendly initiatives.

This was the focus as experts spoke on “Prosperity from Climate-Smart Agribusiness with and for Africa” at a webinar organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Group and AUDA-NEPAD.

Speaking on “Effective Policies for Climate-Smart Agribusiness MSMEs and their Organisation”, Ogun State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Adeola Odedina, showcased success stories of the state’s agriculture as put in place by Governor Dapo Abiodun.

 Odedina harped on the policy to support climate-smart agriculture, reduction of greenhouse gases, and adaptive skills in coping with and mitigating the effects of climate change with focus on agriculture to provide jobs, support smallholder farmers and agricultural industrialisation.

He explained that agro-forestry, which combined economic tree crops with food crops in a sustainable environment, had been encouraged among small-scale cocoa, cashew and oil palm plantation owners in the state through constant engagements, training, awareness creation and agricultural extension services.

He also identified creation of multiple streams of income through integration of livestock, crop production and value chain development by farmers as a means of decelerating pressures on land and environmental resources. This approach, he said, would mitigate climate change for the benefit of all.

He added that the state had adopted climate-smart agriculture as a policy to combat effects of climate change through and on agribusinesses.

President of PAFO, Mr Kolyyang Palébélé, said technologies should be applied in MSMEs to boost climate-friendly agricultural businesses in developing countries.