Pig Fattening Technique in Nigeria - Cassavabiz.org
Pig Fattening Technique in Nigeria - Cassavabiz.org
Pig Fattening Technique in Nigeria - Cassavabiz.org
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About ICS-<strong>Nigeria</strong><br />
Information and Communication Support for Agricultural Growth<br />
<strong>in</strong> <strong>Nigeria</strong> (ICS-<strong>Nigeria</strong>) is a project which aims to <strong>in</strong>crease the quantity<br />
and quality of <strong>in</strong>formation available for <strong>in</strong>creased agricultural production,<br />
process<strong>in</strong>g, and market<strong>in</strong>g and also strengthen the capacity of farmer assistance<br />
<strong>org</strong>anizations to package and dissem<strong>in</strong>ate <strong>in</strong>formation and agricultural<br />
technologies to farmers for the alleviation of rural poverty.<br />
In the recent past, <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> the support services to <strong>Nigeria</strong>n agriculture has<br />
been neglected with the result that this sector has not realized its full potential<br />
to contribute to the prosperity and economic development of the country.<br />
Meanwhile, <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g population pressure and the accompany<strong>in</strong>g need to<br />
<strong>in</strong>tensify agricultural production is lead<strong>in</strong>g to erosion of the natural resource base<br />
on which agriculture depends.<br />
The susta<strong>in</strong>ability of production is threatened by a vicious cycle of decl<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g soil<br />
fertility and <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g problems of pests, diseases, and weeds. Moreover, the<br />
lack of knowledge on how to add value through proper storage, process<strong>in</strong>g, and<br />
market<strong>in</strong>g impedes agricultural growth.<br />
Promis<strong>in</strong>g technologies exist to address these problems, but their adoption is<br />
constra<strong>in</strong>ed by a lack of <strong>in</strong>formation packaged <strong>in</strong> appropriate formats, and poor<br />
communication channels for this <strong>in</strong>formation, between farmers and the research,<br />
extension, and education <strong>org</strong>anizations that are supposed to address these<br />
issues.<br />
ICS-<strong>Nigeria</strong> aims to assist <strong>in</strong> meet<strong>in</strong>g these challenges by develop<strong>in</strong>g<br />
appropriate format materials for dissem<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>formation and agricultural<br />
technologies to target user groups, while <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g capacity of farmer assistance<br />
<strong>org</strong>anizations to produce <strong>in</strong>formation materials. At the same time, communication<br />
channels will be re<strong>in</strong>forced so that <strong>in</strong>formation fl ow is enhanced.<br />
Agricultural technologies have been selected on the basis that they will lead<br />
to agricultural commercialization thereby enhanc<strong>in</strong>g rapid <strong>in</strong>come generation<br />
for farmers and private sector practitioners. The project is tak<strong>in</strong>g advantage<br />
of exist<strong>in</strong>g agricultural development programs <strong>in</strong> <strong>Nigeria</strong>, national research<br />
<strong>in</strong>stitutes, and <strong>in</strong>ternational research <strong>in</strong>stitutes <strong>in</strong> and out of <strong>Nigeria</strong> to identify<br />
these technologies. The project is also tak<strong>in</strong>g advantage of exist<strong>in</strong>g successful<br />
partnerships aris<strong>in</strong>g from recent and ongo<strong>in</strong>g programs to enhance <strong>in</strong>formation<br />
fl ow.<br />
ICS-<strong>Nigeria</strong> is funded by USAID.<br />
International Institute<br />
of Tropical Agriculture<br />
www.iita.<strong>org</strong>