At least 300 smallholder farmers in Benue State have received improved vegetable seeds in a move aimed at increasing household income and improving food security through year-round vegetable production. The beneficiaries received the seeds – including spinach and okra – during the annual free seed distribution programme organised by the Teryima and Msurshima Foundation in Makurdi. Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Vitalis Targnongu, said the initiative was designed to strengthen the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by providing high-yielding foundation seeds capable of improving productivity and increasing earnings. He said the distributed seeds, which included spinach, okra, maize, millet and cowpea, were first-generation foundation seeds produced from breeder seeds obtained from research institutes. Tarnongu explained that farmers who had benefited from the programme over the years had consistently recorded higher yields, enabling many households to produce enough vegetables for family consumption while selling the surplus to generate income. The Secretary to the Benue State Government, Mrs Serumun Aber, represented by Akor Abiem, said the initiative complements the state government’s efforts to improve agricultural production and expand access to quality planting materials. She noted that agriculture remains a key component of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s Seven-Point Agenda and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to partnering organisations that support smallholder farmers. Also speaking, the Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Benjamin Ashaver, represented by Tersoo Akor, urged beneficiaries to adopt climate-smart farming practices, including planting early-maturing varieties and making effective use of agricultural extension services to improve yields. The Ter Gwer, Chief Dominic Akpe, described the programme as a major investment in rural agriculture and called for its expansion across the state’s 23 local government areas. On her part, the Benue State Coordinator of the Small Scale Women Farmers Association of Nigeria (SWOFON), Mrs Veronica Guma, said the foundation’s support had helped many women farmers increase vegetable production, improve household nutrition and earn additional income from the sale of surplus produce. She added that the quality of the improved seeds had continued to earn the confidence of beneficiaries because of their resilience and high yield.
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