Agriculture: MIDENO Equips 30 Frontline Staff/Enumerators with KoBo Collect Application Skills!

MIDENO Equips 30 Enumerators with KoBo Collect Application Skills.

By Ruth Che Wachong

Some 30 Frontline Staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER) North West have successfully completed training on the use of KoBo collect Application, targeting and selection of beneficiaries of the Emergency Project to Combat Food Crises in Cameroon (PULCCA), executed by the North West Development Authority (MIDENO) in the North West Region.

DG MIDENO pose with Participants after the Opening Ceremony.

Opening the training in Bamenda Tuesday May 14th 2024, the Director General of MIDENO, Cletus Anye Matoyah said the PULCCA Project is designed to increase livelihoods of farmers and vulnerable communities by ensuring food security in the targeted areas. He hoped participants will take the training serious so the trickle down effects of the Project will be felt by all.

DG MIDENO flanked by Technical Director, Director of Administration and Finance MIDENO, Chief of Agricultural Development MINADER N.W

According to the Regional Delegate for Agriculture and Rural Development North West, the quality of participants selected for the training is already an indicator that the PULCCA Project will be successful. He urged participants to continue collaborating with MIDENO and MINADER in order to boost farmers production and productivity through the Projects lifecycle.

Regional Delegate MINADER North West at Closing Ceremony

The Focal Point of the Project who doubles as the Director of the Technical Department MIDENO, on his part reiterated the importance of the training which is to equip frontline staff with mobile data collection skills based on the KoBo Toolbox, and expressed satisfaction with the turnout and commitment of participants through the training program. He is hopeful PULCCA will not only create impact on the targeted communities but in the entire country as a whole. The Director advised Frontline Staff to be Professionally Responsible while executing their duties, proactive, avoid any form of conflict with beneficiaries and above all respect Divine Laws. "What makes meaning in life is not what you stand to gain but what Glorifies God and makes others happy” Ndeh Emmanuel continued.

Ndeh Emmanuel.E.

PULCCA Focal Point, Technical Director MIDENO

An Introduction to KoBo Toolbox, installation of KoBo Collect in the phones of participants, group work, amongst others were activities carried out during the Training.

Participants were also given orientation on how to identify vulnerable households and administer questionnaires using the KoBo system.

The Project which targets crisis affected communities in the Far North, North, North West, Southwest, Adamawa, and East Regions has as objectives to strengthen food and nutrition security and increase resilience to climate shocks of targeted households and producers, contribute to mitigating short-term impacts of food and nutrition insecurity in targeted areas, while simultaneously building long-term economic, climate, and community resilience.

The Project is made up of five components; Support for early response food and nutrition stabilization towards early recovery and resilience, Strengthening productive capacities of smallholders through crop and livestock support for climate and nutritional resilience, Support for strengthening Government food security crisis monitoring capacity, information systems, and agro meteorological services, Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Contingent Emergency Response Component.

MIDENO is the Executing Agency for component 2.1 of the Project in the North West Region based on a Protocol Agreement Signed with the Project Management Unit of PULCCA. This aspect of the project under MIDENO in the North West Region is expected to benefit over 10,000 vulnerable households through inputs support kits for cassava, maize, solanum potato, rice, plantain, gardening and capacity building on Climate Smart Agriculture, use of post harvest infrastructures.and the organisation and integration of women IDPs and refugees in local organizations, estimates at over 2.9 billion francs for 2024. The beneficiaries will be selected in a participatory manner based on vulnerability criteria at the community and household levels.

The Workshop rounded up with words of encouragement to Frontline Staff from the Regional Delegate of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Director of the Technical Department, the Director of Administration and Finance and the Chief of Agricultural Development at MINADER North West.

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