1 min
In this week's Letter to My Farmers, Babatunde describes the necessity for the right information to reach small holder farmers. Knowing the correct storage technology and planting and harvesting times is essential for small holder farmers to stay competitive in the market.
The efforts of smallholder farmers should come with a great reward in principle but in reality, it seems otherwise. Nothing should be blamed except for the forces of demand and supply, which most time is human induced. One of the characteristics of smallholder farmers is that they produce common crops, especially those in the same region, and sadly, this is done almost at the same time; the planting and harvesting happen in the same period, leading to market glut, which many times, causes prices fall to the lowest point.
Furthermore, many smallholder farmers find it difficult to add value to their produce, thus the shelf life is low, and they are less competitive in the market, therefore they become price takers in every business transaction. In recent times, in Nigeria, companies came up with different storage technologies that increase the shelf life of produce, especially grain, which has been adopted by few farmers, but there is still a need for more farmers to embrace the use of improved storage technologies to increase shelf life and increase their products competitively.
Farm Visit in Row, Lagos State
In conclusion, providing the right information to the farmers cannot be over emphasized as information becomes the most important asset to be self sufficient, therefore, as stakeholders, we must deploy the right strategy to increase farmers knowledge on storage technology, and promote increased adoption by ensuring that all fears are alleviated. Therefore, we all must be involved in ensuring that farmers' efforts are awesomely rewarded, not by being emotional rather than leveraging the power of technology that makes them more competitive and in advantageous positions in their business operations.
Yours-in-Service,
Babatunde
Furthermore, many smallholder farmers find it difficult to add value to their produce, thus the shelf life is low, and they are less competitive in the market, therefore they become price takers in every business transaction. In recent times, in Nigeria, companies came up with different storage technologies that increase the shelf life of produce, especially grain, which has been adopted by few farmers, but there is still a need for more farmers to embrace the use of improved storage technologies to increase shelf life and increase their products competitively.
In conclusion, providing the right information to the farmers cannot be over emphasized as information becomes the most important asset to be self sufficient, therefore, as stakeholders, we must deploy the right strategy to increase farmers knowledge on storage technology, and promote increased adoption by ensuring that all fears are alleviated. Therefore, we all must be involved in ensuring that farmers' efforts are awesomely rewarded, not by being emotional rather than leveraging the power of technology that makes them more competitive and in advantageous positions in their business operations.
Yours-in-Service,
Babatunde
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