?Enhances resilience of farming to climate change

Heifer Nigeria has launched a Finance Leasing guarantee scheme that gives farmers access to innovative Solar-powered Irrigation Pumps (SPIPs) which help all-year-round farming regardless of weather conditions.

At the launch of SPIPs Finance Leasing Project in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Tuesday, the Country Director of Heifer in Nigeria, Dr. Lekan Tobe, explained that the irrigation technology utilizes solar energy to power the pumps, eliminating reliance on traditional energy sources and cutting down farmers' operational costs.

Heifer?s SPIPs Finance Leasing Project would provide smallholder farmers with access to new irrigation technology to support their farming throughout the year. This would enhance their capacity to increase their productivity, earn increased income, and improve their livelihoods. It would also aid their self-reliance and make them contribute more to national development.

Farmers can easily access the SPIPs through a lease-to-own model operated by a private vendor facilitated by Heifer Nigeria. They can make a small down payment and spread the balance in installments over two years, after which they own the SPIP outright.

With SPIPs Finance Leasing Project, farmers in Ogun state would be able to overcome climate change, droughts, and unpredictable rainfall patterns, which are increasingly impacting crop yields and food security and posing a significant threat to agriculture in Nigeria.

Dr. Tobe described the project as an innovative and ?promising sustainable alternative to conventional electricity and diesel-based pumping systems. It offers the advantages of efficiency, convenience, reliability, and cost-effectiveness and can transform agriculture in Nigeria.?

According to him, Heifer?s focus encompasses farmer?s access to the market, innovation, new technology, and leveraging partnerships to scale up which leads to higher productivity and enables farmers to earn decent livelihoods while caring for the earth.

The Permanent Secretary, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Mrs. Kehinde Jokotoye, commended Heifer?s support for farmers, which she said would lead to food self-sufficiency in Nigeria. She assured that the State?s partnership with Heifer and others would continue.

She added that the Ogun State government has set aside large farm settlements across Ogun State, and provided fertilizers and a stand-by fund to support farmers and other groups in the state.

Mr. Onimisi C. Atere, the Founder of Nimsy Agro Solar Concept, and inventor of the SPIPs explained that the new farm tool has empowered farmers to farm three times in a year and embrace sustainable farming. He added that with SPIPs, farmers would be able to save up to 40 percent on farm expenses enabling them to earn more.

According to him, deploying SPIPs would increase food security, create employment, and skills transfer, and encourage a greener agriculture system.

The Managing Director/CEO, of Ogun-Osun Rivers Basin Development, Eng. Adedeji Ashiru, praised Heifer?s empowerment like SPIPs towards solving Nigeria?s food production, security, and sustainability.

Also, the Managing Director of the Internet of Things (IoT), Africa, Mellani Temitope Ayoola, advised farmers to be open to new ideas through innovation and adoption of new technology to do better. She praised Heifer for facilitating the process of making the SPIPs available to smallholder farmers.

Mr. Oyeniyi Oyeleakn, Business Development Manager of the Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), describes SPIPs as a game changer that would enhance the food security situation in Nigeria.

The Programme Manager of the Ogun State Agricultural Development Programme (OGADEP) said the SPIPs? accessibility to farmers, assured that farmers now have the opportunity to farm all seasons increase their farm outputs, and improve their income and by extension their living standards.

Saheed Gambari, a farmer from Opebi, Odeda Local Government described Heifer?s facilitated SPIP project for farmers as a divine intervention that has empowered him to be productive and farm profitably and realize his farming dream.

Another farmer, Ayoleke Oke, said SPIPs offer rest of mind, reduce stress, and cost of labour, enhance precision farming, higher yield, and expansion of farming scope leading to productive experience.

Heifer expects that with the SPIP's empowerment and increased economic opportunities, women and youth would be encouraged to embrace farming and unlock opportunities within the agricultural sector.

SPIPs provide a reliable source of water for farmers to irrigate their crops consistently, leading to healthier plants, higher yields, and increased income. Other benefits of the new agricultural technology are improved crop quality through consistent watering, which leads to better-quality produce and higher market prices, extended growing seasons, and increased overall productivity.

The SPIP also reduces the need for manual labor associated with traditional irrigation methods and is also environmentally friendly as it uses clean solar energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and contributing to climate change mitigation.

The technology will lead to improved food security and nutrition in the communities, enhance the resilience of farming systems to climate change, and promote sustainable agricultural practices and environmental conservation.

The SPIP is portable and user-friendly. It is easier for farmers to move it between different fields or water sources. It requires minimal technical expertise to operate and maintain and comes with a complete kit such as a pump, solar panels, suction pipe, hose, and carrier, ensuring farmers have everything they need to start the irrigation process.

The organization would provide comprehensive support for training on the use and maintenance of SPIPs, as well as guidance on climate-smart agricultural practices and market linkages that facilitate connections between farmers and buyers, ensuring they always have access to markets for their produce.

To make the SPIP easily available to farmers in all parts of Ogun State, the state government is expected to create favorable policies for renewable energy adoption in agriculture and provide extension services to farmers. Cooperatives and farmers' unions would facilitate access to the SPIPs for their members, providing collective bargaining power, supporting farmers in the adoption of new farm tools, advocating for policies that support sustainable agriculture, and providing a platform for farmers to share knowledge and best practices.

?PHOTO: L-R; Oladepo Omolade (a farmer), Mr. Onimisi C. Atere, (Founder of Nimsy Agro Solar Concept), Mrs. Kehinde Jokotoye (Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ogun State), Dr. Lekan Tobe (Country Director, Heifer International Nigeria) and Adeeko Funmilayo, (a farmer) at the Launch of Solar-Powered Irrigation Pumps Finance Leasing Project in Abeokuta . . . Tuesday.

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