A foreign Non-Governmental Organisation, Solidaridad West Africa, and four local ones have extended technical aids, farm implements and funds to 36 communities in five local government areas of Cross River State.
The other four are Food and Health Initiative, Green Aid Africa, Youth Training Hub Africa and the Centre for Community Empowerment and Peace Initiative.
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Vicky O’Neill from the Food and Health Initiative said the aim of the partnership was to entrench best management practices in oil palm cultivation in the state.
“We work with communities to improve oil palm production and ensure that their yield is better than what they had before.
“We have been to Ikom, Biase, Obubra Bekwarra, Ugep and have so far covered 36 communities across the state.
“We have gone there to know their needs and the intervention is not to give them money but better seedlings and inputs that will ensure better yields.
“We also hope to assist them with farm tools that will enable them to farm. Some of them lack these inputs as well as access to farms and markets so this is where Solidaridad and its partners can intervene,” she said.
Okokon Bassey of Green Aid Africa said bush burning triggers climate change and oil palm farmers have been educated to desist from this.
He said Solidaridad has educated the farmers on the dangers of bush burning which leads to low yield.