NWAPDI Holds First AGM, Introduces Technologies To Support Rural Farmers

The AGM brought together women farmers from all the 6 geo-political zones of the country to reflect on the journey so far and to chart a way forward in the organization.

The group also launched and unveiled some new initiatives during the meeting such as the FarmAssure technology, a new logo that captures the essence of the organisation and the official NWAPDI website to cater for the needs of those who seek to know more about the organisation.

The FarmAssure initiative is a comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) system designed specifically for the agricultural sector, it integrates artificial intelligence Ai ( Blockchain, internet of Things IoT ), and Geographic Information Systems GIS) to help farmers, agribusinesses, exporters, and policymakers manage resources efficiently, improve supply chains, and enhance operational transparency.

Speaking at the event, the National Coordinator of the NWAPDI, Farmer Omolara Svensson says the activity of the group so far has impacted the lives of women and youth farmers, with the support of the government and other partners.

She disclosed that the group since its inception has distributed inputs to women and youth farmers across the 36 states in the country and the FCT.

Svensson noted that the group is working to place Nigerian agriculture on the world map through the introduction of technologies that would transform the sector.

“We can’t stay where we are and expect change to come, as the world is evolving, we have to evolve alongside the world as it is, so what we are trying to do is make sure that we are evolving our grassroot farmers”

While commending NWAPDI, the MD and CEO of the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation NAIC, Folashade Joseph, urged farmers to key into the various packages NAIC offers to prevent unwarranted losses.

“We do not want a situation whereby due to natural disasters, the agricultural venture goes down. So we can’t help if there’s going to be a natural disaster due to climate change. So what we do is to assure our farmers to make sure that when there is a disaster, we pay their claims on time and they go back to farming. And this is actually across the value chain”.

She noted that NAIC is working with groups like NWAPDI to make agriculture more profitable and resilient while securing the future of food production in the country.

She called on farmers to organize themselves into cooperatives for easier access to NAIC platforms.

President of one of the partner companies an international technology and consulting firm specializing in digital solutions for emerging markets, Norcom, LLC Mr. Dion Croom said his company is partnering with NWAPDI to bring technology to agriculture to support farmers in Nigeria.

He said his technology would help train farmers in the country to be at par with their peers in the world.