Abuja, July 1, 2019 (NAN) – The Potatoes Farmers Association of Nigeria (POFAN), on Monday, urged the Federal Government to train farmers across the nation on the effects of climate change.
The National President, Mr Daniel Okafor, made this disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Nigeria`s capital.
According to Okafor, the increase in climate change has been affecting farming activities and may adversely reduce the chances of bountiful harvest.
He said the issue of climate change was affecting farmers because they had no right knowledge of the various changes affecting livestock, plant and the soil.
Okafor, however, called on other concerned stakeholders concerned with the training on climate change to ensure effective training of farmers in order to improve farming in Nigeria.
According to him, one of the challenges facing agriculture in Nigeria today is the issue of climate change.
“Climate change is destroying the earth and its components.
“Hence the need for farmers to be trained, so that they can apply the training to the activities on the farms, as it affects food production.
“The Federal Ministry of Environment and the climate change department, should handle the training; we need intensive training on climate change, as such will help to address the challenge properly.
“We, the farmers want the people in charge of climate change to know their mandate and know the people involved to train them on the issue as it affects agriculture.
“Farmers should be trained because they need it and experts should also improve on the quality of their professional training for the farmers to benefit from them adequately,’’ he said.
Okafor also urged all the relevant stakeholders to collaborate with government authorities to give room for the training.
“Everybody needs to be working towards the climate change issue, we cannot continue to blame President Muhammadu Buhari all the time, we should also learn to do the right thing’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that climate change, which has become a concern globally, refers to some anomalies in the climate system as a result of some human activities.
These anomalies include, increase in the concentration of Greenhouse Gases, (GHG), Hydroflouro Carbons (HFC) and Chloro Flouro Carbons (CFCs) in the atmosphere, which may ultimately lead to global warming.
Nigeria is vulnerable to climate change, and this may cause adverse effects on livelihoods, affecting crop and livestock production, fisheries, forestry and post-harvest activities, if left unchecked.
