The Enugu State government has launched a new push to strengthen agroecology among young people by mobilising youths involved in agriculture into a more coordinated and collaborative framework. As part of this effort, 75 young people drawn from various agricultural organisations are set to lead government efforts to improve and promote agroecology among youths in the state.
The initiative was announced at a one-day capacity-building workshop organised by the state government in partnership with the South Saharan Social Development Organisation (SSDO) and ActionAid Nigeria. At the event, the government said it was focused on building strong networks that would promote collaboration among agricultural groups, with the aim of improving output and coordination across the sector.
SSDO’s Head of Programme, Udochukwu Egwim, said the initiative became necessary following the discovery that many agricultural groups operating in the state were “working in silos.”
According to him, bringing the groups together would strengthen collaboration and networks, enabling them to better access and benefit from available agricultural resources in the state.
“We are partnering with ActionAid Nigeria and the Enugu State government to carry out this activity, which is geared towards bringing together different agroecology groups in the state, civil society organisations, development partners, government agencies and ministries. The idea is that we have different organisations and programmes on agriculture, but they are working in silos.
“There is no harmony or coalition that brings them together, and this has resulted in programmes running in the state without young people being aware of them,” he said.
Egwim also cited a programme implemented by an international organisation last year to empower about 600 young fish farmers, noting that although the state had more than the required number of beneficiaries, it could not meet the demand due to the absence of a functional database or coordinated networks.
