Nigeria
August 18, 2023
18 August 2023
Mechanization has been recognized as an essential factor in agriculture development efforts to save labor and time in many farming operations for smallholder farmers. The hand-operated portable seeding machine used for sowing cowpea seeds in large and small fields can reduce labor costs for farmers.
Adebisi showing participants how to load seeds in the planter.
Toward helping smallholder farmers to reduce labor costs and drudgery on their farms, IITA Kano Station, in collaboration with partners from Bayero University Kano (BUK) and Kano State Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (KNARDA), organized a training program for farmer-seed producers on the use of the hand-push manual seeder (HPMS). The training focused on female farmers in the establishment of cowpea and soybean seed farms.
Reuben Solomon, Rilwan Adebisi, Ibrahim Mohd Gaya, and the farmers from the Albasu LGA of Kano State attended the training. The introduction of the HPMS was a response to the female farmer’s needs and competing demands and the high cost of manual labor during the planting season.
Beneficiaries after the training in Albasu.
Ibrahim Gaya, during the welcome address, stated that the purpose of the training is to enlighten farmers about the advantages of the seed planter. He said the world is evolving, and the planter will significantly help the farmers improve their efficiency. He added that it would help farmers improve existing techniques and increase productivity.
While speaking to the farmers, a senior research officer, Reuben Solomon, said their workload would be less and more coordinated once the farmers adapt to using the seed planter. He added that the machine can plant crops at precise depths and intervals, ensuring uniformity and optimal growth. He appreciated all the farmers for participating in the training.
In addition, Director Agribus said the purpose of the training is to demonstrate the use of seed planters to ease the planting stress for the farmers and ensure that the spacing and number of seeds in a hole are accurate. He said using the planter is less time-consuming; a 100-meter length takes approximately 45 seconds with the help of a planter. Which ordinarily would have been more time-consuming manually.
Rilwan further explained that the planter is multi-purpose as it can be used to plan sorghum, maize, cowpea, and other crops that can accommodate 20cm spacing. He ended by advising the farmers always to wear their protective wear, such as hats to protect them from the sun, long-sleeved shirts, overalls, leather boots, and gloves, as these will protect the farmer from the environment and the elements. The training ended with a practical aspect.
Female farmer in Albasu practicing how to sow seeds using the planter.
Hajiya Gambo, the female farmer from the Hungu district of Albasu LGA, was delighted about the development, thanked the IITA and partners for the opportunity, and said farming had changed her life in many ways. All the participants were excited about the seed planter and hoped to acquire one as that would make their farming work less stressful and time-consuming.
SEEDEQUAL and the Accelerated Varietal Improvement and Seed Delivery of Legumes and Cereals in Africa (AVISA) project in Nigeria supported the training.
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