Thursday, 1st July 2021: In continuation of the programmes and projects to actualize the mandate of the Federal College of Animal Health & Production Technology, (FCAH&PT), Moor Plantation, Ibadan, the Director of Extension Services of the College, Dr Grace Oyinlola Alonge, has led her team to attend a meeting of farmers in Oluyole Victory 1, one of the College’s adopted village late last month.

Meeting with farmers in the adopted villages is aimed at nurturing the existing relationship between the College and the farmers as well as to know the areas of support the farmers may need as well as introduce to them new research findings and initiatives that can boost their operations in the farms.

The meeting at Oluyole Victory 1 is already bearing fruits as the farmers there, have organized themselves into an association known as Goat and sheep Utilization Farmers Association of Nigeria, (GASUFAN).

CEOAFRICA learnt that 11 various Goats and Sheep Cooperative Associations came together and metamorphosed into GASUFAN under the auspices of the West African Agricultural Productive Programme, (WAAPP), which is a World Bank assisted project with the Federal College of Animal Health & Production Technology, Moor Plantation, Apata, Ibadan, Oyo State as the implementation partner.

GASUFAN is duly registered and operates under a cooperative group named: Odo Ona Elewe Goat & Sheep Victory 1 Multipurpose Cooperative Society. The associations have Union Bank, Bank of Agriculture and Guaranty Trust Bank as their bankers.

Their vision is to collaborate with relevant stakeholders, government, non-governmental organizations and donors agencies to improve investment potentials through sustainable goat and sheep value chain development across the country while their mission include:
To improve the investment portfolio of individual (members) ruminant farmers for sustainability
To provide opportunities for the adaptation of on farm livestock technologies from research that can improve and sustain genetic potentials of out indigenous breeds of cattle, goat &sheep.

Dr Alonge use the occasion to explain that under the Agricultural Research Outreach Centres’ programme, they have schools and villages that have been adopted for regular visit to create awareness and among the students and farming community.