IFAD Programme Strengthens Farmers’ Capacity, offers Free Medical Care

The Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on Tuesday embarked on building the capacity of farmers in Anambra to promote healthy living and clean environment.

 

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme also provided free medical care for more than 80 farmers at the capacity development workshop in Awka.

 

Mr Emmanuel Aguncha, the State Programme Coordinator of VCDP, who declared the workshop opened, said that the farmers needed a stable health to achieve the objectives of the programme.

 

He noted that the training was aimed at nurturing the farmers to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge that would enable them to identify symptoms of certain illnesses, in efforts to adequately manage the health challenges.

 

Aguncha, who was represented by Mr James Mozie, urged the farmers to take the training seriously and disseminate the knowledge which they acquired in the workshop to other farmers in their communities to improve their health and production.

 

In a lecture, Mr Aloy Nlekwa sensitised the farmers to the symptoms and prevention of cancer, hepatitis and other chronic diseases.

 

He also advised them to go for check-ups to guard against high blood pressure and sugar level, among others.

 

Nlekwa, who urged farmers to always keep their surroundings clean so as to avoid catching communicable and non-communicable diseases, also underscored the importance of hand washing and healthy diets in healthy living.

 

In an interview, one of the participants, Mrs Blessing Ugwuozor, a cassava farmer from Oba-Ofemmili in Awka North Local Government Area, described the training as “an eye-opener.”

 

Ugwuozor commended IFAD-VCDP for the free blood pressure test, saying that the gesture had enabled her know her blood pressure status, after eight months of suffering from the health condition. (NAN)