Oju Agri-Shield Intervention Project
An attack on agriculture is an attack on the development of the nation. Benue State, the food basket of Nigeria has experienced an avalanche of security issues. This has left a lot of farms deserted, and has displaced many from their homes.
Oju, located in the Zone C Region of Benue State, is a rural community distinguished by prominent red soil and partially paved roads, riddled with potholes and bumps.
A cursory glance revealed the community’s deep-rooted agricultural practices, with locals engaged in various farming activities within their compounds such as rice milling and cassava processing.
Though brimming with potential, the community has been a target of herdsmen attacks in the last decade, disrupting the villager’s livelihoods and causing notable losses to agricultural productivity. The constant wave of attacks turned a community bubbling with agricultural production activity to vast stretches of uncultivated, deserted land. Those who dared to return to their farms were faced with the disappointment of actualizing really low yields during harvest as a result of insufficient Agri-inputs.
Chief Upa Obo, the community leader, lamented that they struggle to match their efforts with commensurate produce due to these challenges.
The Shield Africa Sustainability and Development Initiative responded by launching the 2023 Rice Season Farming Project; a project under our Agri-Shield Program, aimed at increasing local yield, boosting productivity, and restoring the villagers’ primary source of income.
These inputs were distributed as part of the intervention, providing the assistance needed, and encouraging many to return to their farms. The farmers’ tangible joy at the completion of the project was palpable and uplifting.
This intervention not only addressed immediate challenges, but equipped previously underproductive farmers with the means to efficiently utilize their lands, ensuring a stable income, and bolstering food security in the region.
