NAREI holds clinics for large farming communities

May 20, 2019 News

The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) now has multiple Farmers’ Clinics within large farming areas to ensure other crops farmers receive timely technical support needed to safeguard their investments.

Dr. Oudho Homenauth with some of the farmers.

Dr. Oudho Homenuath, Chief Executive Officer of NAREI related that expanding the reach of the Farmers’ Clinics is a spill-off from Government’s ‘Meet the People’ initiative. NAREI recently participated in the outreaches held in Georgetown, Region Four; Fort Wellington, Region Five; Tain, Region Six; Leonora, Region Three and Linden, Region 10.
Dr. Homenauth emphasised that extension services are crucial to the growth of the other crops sector. The Institute has been employing different measures such as Farmers’ Field Schools, Farmers’ Clinics, demonstration plots and routine farm visit to meet farmers.
“Interactions with farmers indicate that our Extension Staff are meeting them, but there is still a need for additional support…One area that will benefit from this is Canal Number Two Polder…We have decided that Extension Officers will move the clinic in different areas to meet a greater number of farmers,” he said.
“The staff will be there a particular day for the entire session, allowing farmers to easily relate to them what are some of the issues they have… That would be followed up with a visit to see what technical advice is needed…If the staff cannot assist, they would contact our central location to get the necessary information or advice…What we are using a lot now is the phone by taking pictures.”
The outreaches also revealed that NAREI’s Extension staff have been doing a good job in meeting farmers routinely.
Another positive that derived from the outreaches was the setting up of a Farmers’ Field School. Some farmers operating in Canal Two had complained about a disease affecting their crops, particularly peppers. However, a visit to the communities proved that the crops were not infected but rather there was a soil deficiency.

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