The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has advanced preparations for the flag-off of its proposed Agro-Mechanisation Programme, securing widespread community support after inspecting over 4,000 hectares of farmland across the state.
The land inspection and stakeholder engagement exercise, conducted across Enugu’s three senatorial districts, is aimed at ensuring a smooth take-off of the agro-mechanisation projects, which form part of the commission’s broader strategy to boost food security, commercial agriculture and rural development.
The inspection team, led by the Executive Director, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Cliff Ogbede, worked in collaboration with the Enugu State Government to assess the suitability of the proposed sites and engage host communities on the initiative.
So far, the commission has inspected about 2,000 hectares of land in Nkpologwu, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, under Enugu North Senatorial District, and another 2,000 hectares in Elugwu Akwu-Achi, Oji River Local Government Area, under Enugu West Senatorial District.
According to a report prepared by Ogbede after the exercise, community reception to the proposed Agro-Mechanisation Programme has been overwhelmingly positive.
“In preparation for the flag-off of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) Agro-Mechanisation projects, my team and I, supported by the Enugu State Government (ENSG), successfully concluded a series of community stakeholder engagements across Enugu’s three senatorial zones.
“These engagements are foundational to the SEDC Vision 2050 and the South East Agricultural Development Programme (SEADP), aimed at driving food security, commercial agriculture and youth empowerment.
“Data indicates that 80 per cent of agro-infrastructure delays result from inadequate community engagement. Consequently, these sessions prioritised early buy-in, land access clarity and security assurance to ensure the seamless establishment of mechanised pilot farms,” he said.
Giving an overview of the exercise in the report titled, “SEDC Community Stakeholder Engagement for Agro-Mechanisation (Enugu State),” Ogbede said the team commenced pilot site inspections on July 10 in Nkpologwu, Uzo-Uwani LGA, where they met with the council chairman, Hon. Barr. Chijioke Ezugwu.
The following day, the team visited Elugwu Akwu-Achi in Oji River LGA, Enugu West Senatorial District, where they engaged with the council chairman, Hon. Greg Chijioke Anyaebudike.
The final leg of the exercise took place on July 12 in Nomeh Unataeze, Nkanu East LGA, Enugu East Senatorial District, where the delegation met with the local government chairman, Hon. Sydney Okechukwu Edeh.
Highlighting the field engagements, Ogbede said the team held extensive consultations with community leaders and residents in Nkpologwu before inspecting approximately 2,000 hectares of land earmarked for the project.
During the engagement in Oji River, he explained the commission’s mandate to stakeholders and dispelled the perception that the SEDC was merely a conference-driven institution by showcasing its practical, strategy-based development agenda.
Following the interaction, the team inspected another 2,000-hectare contiguous parcel of land considered suitable for large-scale mechanised farming.
Providing a strategic assessment of the exercise, Ogbede said the level of acceptance by host communities was highly encouraging, describing the initiative as a collaborative effort between the SEDC and the Enugu State Government to expand commercial farming in the state.
“The communities view these projects as a collaborative effort with the Enugu State Government to scale up local farming operations. The primary success indicators observed were high-level attendance, the presence of both political and traditional leadership, as well as active participation and enthusiasm from elders and community leaders, demonstrating strong buy-in,” he stated.
On the viability of the proposed sites, Ogbede confirmed that the team had verified the availability of large, contiguous land suitable for commercial agro-mechanisation.
With the stakeholder engagement phase now concluded, the commission is expected to proceed to technical scoping and the official flag-off of the Agro-Mechanisation Programme in the coming weeks.
(The Whistler)
