They, however, pleaded with the government at all levels to find ways of protecting their farmlands and produce from the incessant incursion of herdsmen in a bid to address the situation.
A leader of one of the cluster farmers’ groups at Igunrin village in Iseyin Local Government Area of Oyo State, Mr. Abdulwahid Algozaar Abdulrazaq who spoke with journalists at the weekend informed that the warning became imperative in order to reduce further clashes between farmers and herdsmen.
He said that members of his group tagged Path-P Agricultural group resorted to large-scale farm holding following the futile search for white-collar jobs in the cities, hence, there is a need for the cattle rearers to keep off their farmlands in order not to compound their problems.
Abdulrazaq revealed that the mechanized cassava production project became worthwhile for them as a result of the intervention of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) with support from the United Kingdom Agency for International Development (UKAID).
He warned that further incursion into their farmlands may lead to food scarcity in the region.
Under the scheme, he explained, AATF is providing each cluster group comprising about twenty graduates and youth with a cassava planter tractor with facilities for ploughing, harrowing, planting, spraying and harvesting to service their 40 hectare-farm holding, thus making farming more attractive and less drudgery. AATF is also providing training and linkages for stakeholders notably the agro service agencies, financial houses and industrial end users under the value chain development programme.
Mr. Idowu Friday, leader of another cluster group, tagged Otitolere in Ayetoro, Yewa Local Government Area of Ogun State who also spoke with journalists, disclosing that with the adoption of mechanization introduced by AATF, the group comprising 25 members have been able to grow their farm holding significantly while they have also overcome their initial challenges of marketing the cassava yields.
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