In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the numerous restrictions to cut down on the spread of the virus, reaching out to smallholder farmers one-on-one became very challenging, if not impossible. Indeed, there was a dire need to help smallholder farmers build resilience during the restrictions as well as the post-COVID-19 times, hence, the birth of “farm and fortune media.”
It is no gainsaying that COVID-19 negatively affected the global economy with various measures implemented to curtail the spread of the virus’ spread. Social distancing and lockdown, being chiefly among the major measures adopted, disrupted routines and systems, so much that some now hold the view that it would be the precursor to famine unless deliberate steps are taken to mitigate the impacts.
Efforts to mitigate the pending doom by motivating more farmers, agriculture enthusiasts and youths to embrace agriculture, might have inspired OCP Africa to come up with Farm & Fortune TV show.
The show, which is on terrestrial television and radio stations pan Nigeria, came into being to empower smallholder farmers with knowledge through best agricultural practices to increase farmers’ productivity and ensure food security.
Mohammed Hettiti, OCP Africa’s Managing Director, described the Farm & Fortune show as a platform designed to make farming more attractive and rewarding, adding that it will provide the smallholder farmers with the education needed on best agricultural practices with optimal production as the ultimate goal.
According to Hettiti, the show seeks to promote good agricultural practices through interviews with experts and sharing of simple tips and tricks viewers can imbibe and take with them on their farming and agribusiness journey.
Aside from the TV show, there is also a 15-minute agricultural drama called the ‘Chronicles of Sambatta’ and a 5-minute Agricultural tips, called “Farmers Daily”, both on Radio in different local languages – Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, and Pidgin- where the key resources who must innovate to mitigate the impact of increasing population and dwindling resources are followed for solutions.
Project Manager and Head of Agronomy Services and Farmer-Centric Projects at OCP Africa, Dr. Donald Madukwe, disclosed that to mitigate the food insecurity caused by the pandemic, the fertilizer company believes that empowering smallholder farmers is key to producing enough food to feed a growing global population.
Furthermore, collaborating with the whole agricultural value chain by engaging all stakeholders (policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors, and students) will increase innovation in the agricultural sector and ensure food security.
Helen Paul and Frank Donga are the co-hosts of the Farm & Fortune TV show, and in some of the episodes aired, seasoned agriculturists, Agric investors and opinion leaders were invited to share their views on how agriculture can be practiced better so that it can take back its place of pride in the country.
The maiden show featured the story of Yakubu Musa from Bida, Niger State, where he relayed his journey from being an unsatisfied banker with a mandate to grow other people’s revenue, to now a successful rice farmer, contributing to the economic development of his community.
It was gathered that more farmers would be invited in subsequent episodes to relay their challenges to Nigerians with experts on the ground to provide sustainable solutions on how to increase their yield and their livelihood.
Experts from the Nigerian Institute of Soil Science (NISS), Abuja, graced different episodes to Share information on proper nutrient management and fertilizer application methods for effective nutrient management and boosting crop yield.
With the Farm & Fortune show, OCP Africa has conveyed its determination to ensure Nigerians are food secured post-COVID.
It has also brought excitement around agriculture shows in the country as the ingenuity of the duo of Helen-Paul and Frank Donga has gotten more viewers to the show.