Hi dear community lovers of agriculture. Hope you all are having a great day. Today I wish to share my recent incredible opportunity I had to work with the SSP Gang from Edor, Alisi, Bendege-Afi and Balep communities which was held among the closest location called Alisi . Alisi is a beautiful cocoa farming community nestled in the heart of Cross River State, Nigeria.
My experience with the farmers was nothing short of inspiring, as we tackled the challenges these dedicated group of farmers face and embarked on a journey to enhance their cocoa cultivation techniques.
Challenges faced by farmers:
Cocoa farming is one of the challenging and difficult farm operation in crop production. During the course of the training, I allowed the Special Spraying Provider (SSP) gang to express their challenges during the spraying activities. The challenges highlighted were the discomfort with the use of spraying PPE, proper management of pest and disease attack and inefficient spraying practices. I was strongly committed to address the challenges faced by these cocoa farmers to ensure a high yielding cocoa by sharing my past experience achievement in handling a group of spraying team.
My Training Approach:
My training sessions with the farmers were interactive and hands-on. I delved deep into precision spraying techniques, emphasize on the importance of proper usage of spraying equipment where I clearly pointed out the right nozzle adjustment, calibrating the knap sack sprayer, the right application of pesticides following the directives of the product label and the proper maintenance of the knapsack sprayer. I also highlighted out the banned and approved chemical usage in cocoa farm to prevent the use of non environmentally friendly chemical and promote a healthy crop production. I discussed more on the strategies of Integrated Pest Management(IPM), emphasized the significance of soil health and how to maintain a healthy soil.
I also use the opportunity to remind them of a good record keeping to help them monitor the effectiveness of the chemical usage. I also explored sustainable farming practices, focusing on organic solutions and environmentally friendly methods. In as much risk is involved during spraying, I also discussed more on personal health and safety. Demonstrating the skills of first aid treatment when they encounter any danger during spraying.
Venturing to the Cocoa Farm:
We went to a nearby cocoa farm to put in their new newfound knowledge in practice in the field making more clarity to what I have discussed with them. In the farm they were able to understand more about the impact of precision spraying, identified the troubled areas and implemented an immediate improvements.
A Look to the Future:
My journey with the SSP Gang was just the beginning. We all left Alisi with a sense of accomplishment and hope as i promise to check on them whenever I visit their community to see their progress and provide solutions to any further challenges faced. These cocoa farmers are now better equipped to nurture their cocoa crops, improve their livelihoods, and contribute to the sustainability of their community.
Thank you for reading. Please Let's continue this conversation, you can leave your thoughts, questions, and ideas in the comments below. Together, we can empower cocoa farmers like the SSP Gang and make a lasting impact on agriculture in our region.
Images included here are my own. The image is taken using my Tecno Camon 19pro.