The Livestock Horticultural Development Project (LHDP) in collaboration with the Regional Agricultural Directorate of Kerewan recently concluded a three-day capacity development on food security for livestock owners and vegetable growers.

The training, which was held at Njawara Agricultural Training Centre in the North Bank Region (NBR) focused on vegetable production, pest and disease management, post-harvest, marketing, group formation and management, small ruminant production and poultry.

Speaking at the programme, Dr. Saihou E Sanyang, the Regional Agricultural director underscored the importance LHDP and the Department of Agriculture attaches to food security, livestock and small ruminant’s development and nutritional status of farmers. 

He said the primary aim of LHDP is to complement government’s efforts in enhancing the capacity of farmers in food security, income,promoting farming as profitable venture and poverty reduction. He also thanked farmers in the project intervention communities for their commitment and support in effective execution of poultry development, small ruminants and vegetable production. 

For his part, Momodou Darboe, the Regional Livestock officer noted that the project would support farmers in poultry production, small ruminant and vegetable production on a large scale, with the objective of empowering farmers and make farming more profitable and attractive.

Speaking earlier, Mama Manneh of Njawara Agricultural Training Centre (NATC) thanked NBR Regional Agricultural Directorate and LHDP for promoting farmers capacity in food security and sustainable income generation through vegetable and livestock production.

He urged youths to make best use of the opportunity provided by government to enhance effect participation in national development. He tasked the beneficiary communities to endeavour to sustain the projects to bring about meaningful development and poverty reduction. 

The LHDP monitoring and evaluation component, Sheriff Sanyang thanked farmers for their support and cooperation in project implementation, noting that capacity enhancement is central in project activities, as it would enhance farmers’ capacity in food production.

“The project was designed to respond to government decentralisation process, by empowering communities to select their projects and take the lead in the implementation,” he revealed. He thanked the Regional Agricultural Directorate for their invaluable support to the project and farmers in the attainment of food security.