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Abia Intensifies Grassroots Agricultural Development As Ministry, MOUAU-ABIC Train Ward Coordinators, Extension Personnel
Abia Intensifies Grassroots Agricultural Development As Ministry, MOUAU-ABIC Train Ward Coordinators, Extension Personnel
The Abia State Government has stepped up efforts to strengthen agricultural development at the grassroots with the commencement of a four-day capacity-building programme for Ward Agricultural Coordinators and extension personnel across the state.
The training, organised by the Abia State Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the Agricultural Business Incubation Centre (ABIC) of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), began on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, and is scheduled to run until Friday, October 9.
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The initiative, themed Strengthening Grassroots Agricultural Coordination for Sustainable Agricultural Development, is designed to equip participants with contemporary agricultural knowledge, practical skills and technical capacity required to effectively support farmers, monitor agricultural activities and ensure that government interventions reach intended beneficiaries.
The programme is also expected to provide a stronger link between the state government and farmers across Abia’s 17 Local Government Areas by improving the quality of extension services and ensuring that emerging challenges in the agricultural sector are identified and addressed promptly.
Key areas covered during the training include the responsibilities of Ward Agricultural Coordinators, modern farming techniques, pest and disease management, improved crop production, agricultural waste management, value addition, agricultural processing and sustainable agribusiness opportunities.
Declaring the training open on behalf of the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Cliff Agbaeze, FCIB, Dr. Mrs Stephanie Ariwodo of the Epidemiology Department of the Ministry described the programme as an opportunity for participants to acquire knowledge that would translate into measurable agricultural outcomes at the grassroots.
She charged the participants to approach the training with seriousness and commitment, stressing the importance of transferring the knowledge and practical skills acquired to farmers in their respective communities.
The Commissioner explained that the initiative forms part of the agricultural transformation agenda of Governor Alex C. Otti’s administration, particularly the government’s determination to ensure that interventions in the agricultural sector produce tangible benefits for farmers.
He further emphasised the strategic responsibilities of Ward Agricultural Coordinators in monitoring beneficiaries of the State Government’s Farmers’ Inputs Support Programme, verifying the distribution and utilisation of farm inputs, identifying challenges faced by farmers and providing timely feedback to the Ministry.
The Vice Chancellor of MOUAU, Prof. Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, represented at the event by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research and Development, Prof. Princewill Chukwudo, described the training as timely and strategic to the state’s agricultural transformation drive.
She identified declining soil fertility, increasing input costs, climate variability, inadequate extension services, limited mechanisation and weak market linkages as some of the major challenges affecting agricultural productivity.
According to her, addressing these challenges requires the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices, including organic agriculture, integrated soil fertility management, biological pest control and climate-smart agriculture.
She also highlighted the critical position occupied by Ward Agricultural Coordinators as frontline agricultural development partners who are expected to take modern agricultural knowledge directly to farmers and facilitate the adoption of improved farming practices.
The training combines classroom lectures with practical sessions facilitated by experts drawn from MOUAU-ABIC and the Ministry of Agriculture.
Participants are being exposed to a broad range of topics, including the role of Ward Agricultural Coordinators in agricultural development, the business of farming, conversion of agricultural waste into organic fertiliser, crop improvement, pest and disease management, improved cassava production, maize and plantain cultivation, agricultural processing, value addition and sustainable agribusiness development.
Participants have already described the programme as highly enlightening, particularly for its emphasis on practical solutions to challenges confronting farmers.
One of the participants noted that the sessions had significantly expanded her understanding of smart agriculture, climate preservation, waste-to-wealth initiatives, organic fertiliser production and modern approaches to pest management.
She explained that the knowledge acquired would be taken to farmers at the grassroots to improve food production and contribute to Abia’s food-security objectives.
Another participant highlighted the session on cassava production, observing that although Nigeria remains one of the world’s leading cassava-producing countries, low productivity per hectare remains a significant challenge.
He said the training had provided participants with improved approaches to soil and site selection, planting, crop management and cassava processing, which could subsequently be transferred to farmers to improve yields and move them beyond subsistence agriculture into more profitable farming enterprises.
The participants also commended the resource persons for their expertise and practical approach to the various sessions, describing the facilitators as professionals who demonstrated a strong commitment to equipping participants with skills capable of producing meaningful changes in the agricultural sector.
The partnership between the Abia State Ministry of Agriculture and MOUAU-ABIC is expected to significantly strengthen agricultural extension services across the state’s 17 Local Government Areas, improve farmers’ access to technical assistance, minimise post-harvest losses and boost agricultural productivity.
Beyond technical capacity-building, the initiative reflects the Abia State Government’s broader effort to reposition agriculture as a viable economic enterprise capable of creating jobs, generating wealth, improving rural livelihoods and strengthening food security.
By placing greater emphasis on grassroots coordination, modern farming techniques, value addition and sustainable agribusiness, the programme seeks to create a more effective agricultural support system in which farmers are not only provided with inputs but are also equipped with the knowledge and technical support required to turn those inputs into sustainable economic opportunities.
Among the resource persons facilitating the training are Prof. Mbanaso Jude, Prof. Ifeoma Onwuka, Prof. Nwofia Emeka, Dr. Benjamin Okoye, Dr. Aniedi C., Prof. Kelechi Igwe and Prof. Greg Onwuka, Director of the Centre for Excellence in Root Crops Research and Development.
The four-day programme is therefore positioned as another significant step towards building a more knowledgeable, coordinated and commercially viable agricultural workforce capable of driving sustainable agricultural development across Abia State.