IDH and NIFOR Organize Training Course for Agric Extension Officers on Climate Smart Oil Palm Production
At the closing ceremony of a one-week training course for Extension officers in Edo and Ondo states, sponsored by IDH-NISCOPS, the Minister of Agriculture represented by the Director of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture speaking at the event commended IDH for its support the development of the oil palm sector in Nigeria.
The training course was organized by IDH to build capacity of extension staff of Edo and Ondo States to use a recently developed Climate Smart Oil Palm Production guide for trainers in Nigeria. IDH had previously supported the Nigeria Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) to develop a training guide for oil palm production in Nigeria – a first of its kind in the country which imports 48% of the palm oil it consumes due to low productivity among the dominant smallholders who account for 80% of land under oil palm cultivation in the country.
This initiative was welcomed and endorsed by the Commissioners of Agriculture in both states who directed the Agriculture Development Projects (ADPs) of their states to select officers to be participate in the training course. The training held between May 22 – May 26 in Edo State and adopted a participatory approach incorporating field practical sessions to reinforce learning and retention, using a team of seasoned experts to facilitate the training, including a gender specialist. 30 Extension officers from Edo and Ondo states participated in the training. They were trained on climate smart oil palm production, income diversification and gender inclusion.
Through this training course, trainees were expected to have a better understanding of the importance of climate smart approaches in oil palm production and the role of gender in the palm oil industry. The training aimed to improve facilitation capacity and communication skills of trainees to develop field-level training manuals and organize training for farmers.
The following is a link to a media report on the training session as published in the Nigerian dailies: