In 13 trainings conducted between 2- 25 May 2019, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) within the framework of the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy Project has trained 295 beneficiaries (223 male, 72 female) in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
The trainings covered a wide range of topics including Group Dynamics, Issues in Agriculture and Development, Monitoring and Evaluation, Policy Communications and STATA statistical software packages. The trainings were held in Benue, Cross River, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi and Niger States. Participants of the trainings include academics and researchers, journalists, farmer groups, agrodealers and government officials.
| Training courses | Beneficiaries |
| Issues in Agriculture and Development | Academia (Cross River); Cross River State Ministry of Agriculture; Kebbi State University of Science and technology, Kebbi State Ministry of Agriculture. |
| Monitoring and Evaluation | Private Sector (Kaduna State) |
| Econometrics for Policy Analysis Using STATA | Benue State Ministry of Agriculture, Academics (Niger and Ebonyi) |
| Policy Communication for Journalists | Journalists (Kaduna State), Agrodealers (Kaduna State) |
| Group Dynamics Training for Farmer Groups | Farmers Group (Kaduna), Private Sector (Kaduna) |
The trainings are geared at equipping actors operating in different value-chains in Nigeria’s agricultural sector to be able to produce and make available the evidence that is essential for sound decision-making.
One of the ways these trainings contribute towards this objective is by influencing the way beneficiaries think about and use information related to agriculture.
Burbwa Philip Aondover, participant of the STATA training at University of Agriculture Makurdi had this to say, “I… commend the funders of the Feed the Future Nigeria Agricultural Policy project for investing huge funds to ensure the future of Nigeria remains green through capacity buildings like the STATA training I participated in Makurdi, Benue State. This has further deepened my understanding about research. As a result of this training, I have seen the other side of the divide and understand better why quality data is needed and its implications on the agricultural sector and country at large especially as it affects policy formulation and implementation. I look forward to perfecting the use of STATA so that I can further train more people and contribute significantly to the research world.”
The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID/Nigeria) and jointly implemented by Michigan State University and IFPRI’s Nigeria Strategy Support Program.
