Governor Seyi Makinde ,President Maada Bio, Feed Salone Program,
Abubakar Hashim
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has applauded President Maada Bio’s Feed Salone initiative, describing it as “one of the best in Africa, that has the potential to significantly boost food security in the continent “.
Responding, President Bio remarked that his project is “not just an agricultural project, but intrinsically linked to economic growth, health, climate resilience and national stability “.
In his remarks, the International Institute of Tropical Agricultural, IITA’s DG, Dr Simeon Ehui, revealed that “Bio’s agricultural strategy provides valuable lessons for the wider African continent to emulate”.
President Bio is in Ibadan, Oyo State, to understudy IITA’s innovative strategies to further boost his Feed Salone profile, that aligns with IITA’s mission, through improved research driven, technological and Public-Private Partnerships.
The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a non-profit institution that generates agricultural innovations to meet Africa’s most pressing challenges of hunger, malnutrition, poverty, and natural resource degradation. Working with various partners across sub-Saharan Africa, it said, “We improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity.”
IITA is an award-winning, research-for-development (R4D) organization, providing solutions to hunger, poverty, and the degradation of natural resources in Africa. Since 1967, IITA has worked with international and national partners to improve livelihoods, enhance food and nutrition security, increase employment, and preserve natural resource integrity.It said: “Our R4D programs are focused on four crucial areas: Biotechnology and Genetic Improvement, Natural Resource Management, Social Science and Agribusiness, Plant Production and Plant Health and Nutrition and Food Technology.
IITA’s R4D programs have attracted the best and brightest minds from all over the world. Thousands of scientists and professionals have been involved in IITA training and research programs and continue to benefit from the knowledge they have in turn passed on to others.”
Feed Salone is a national strategy in Sierra Leone to improve food security, economic growth, and climate resilience. The program was launched in October 2023 by the government of President Julius Maada Bio.
Goals
- Increase agricultural productivity
- Decrease food imports
- Alleviate hunger
- Increase export earnings
- Create jobs
- Build a resilient food system
- Improve nutrition
Strategy Use climate-smart agriculture, Ensure agricultural land doesn’t encroach on forests, Transform agrifood systems, and Improve climate resilience.
Implementation
- The program is built on six strategic pillars
- The program involves stakeholders at the national and local levels
- The European Union is providing financial support to the program
- The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) is a key technical partner
Results
- Some of the objectives include expanding rice milling capacity, increasing egg production, and expanding land cultivated for onionsTo address long standing challenges that continue to inhibit the optimal performance of critical value chains across the agricultural sector, the Feed Salone’s strategic interventions will be implemented through the following six (6) pillars:
- Pillar 1: Mechanization and Irrigation
- Pillar 2: Seeds and Inputs System
- Pillar 3: Aggregation, Processing and Marketing
- Pillar 4: Access to Finance
- Pillar 5: Agricultural Technology (AgTech) and Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA)
- Pillar 6: Empowering Women and Youth
