Honouring Advocates of Transforming Agriculture in Africa! Nigerian Nnameka Ikegwuonu & Zimbabwean Lindiwe Sibanda are the 2013 Yara Prize Winners

Yara is a leading chemical company which converts energy, natural minerals and nitrogen from air into essential products for farmers and industrial customers. The Yara Prize for an African Green Revolution seeks to contribute to the trandormation of African agriculture and food availability within a sustainable context, thereby helping to reduce hunger and poverty.”
Candidates have been nominated and carefully evaluated by the Yara Prize Committee and the prize money of $60,000 will be split between the laureates, a crystal trophy and a diploma.

This year, Nigerian Nnaemeka C. Ikegwuonu has been selected along side Zimbabwean Lindiwe Majele Sibanda

Nnaemeka of the Small Holders Foundation has been selected for “Communicating For Impact:”; while Lindiwe of Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network {FANRPAN} was selected for Advocating For Impact .

According to the Yara team:
“Mr. Ikegwuonu is being awarded the prize for his entrepreneurial work of using radio as transmitter of sustainable agricultural development and environmental conservation beneficial to rural poor small farmers in the Imo State in south-east Nigeria. Mr. Ikegwuonu and the Smallholders Foundation develops and broadcasts 10 hours of educational radio programs daily to 250,000 listeners. The radio programs are held in the local Igbo language. Since 2007, 65 percent of his radio program listeners have increased their agricultural yield by 50 percent and their household income by 45 percent.

Mr. Ikegwuonu has a goal of reaching 3.5 million farmers in almost 5000 villages in his own region. Since 2008, 4500 students have been trained and 10 school gardens of Nigeria have been established.

Through the Future Farmers Program, Mr. Ikegwuonu imparts sustainable agricultural, environmental management, entrepreneurship and financial management skills to young people through the establishment of the School and Community Gardens in secondary schools and rural communities across Nigeria.“

Of Lindiwe, they stated:

“Dr. Lindiwe Majele Sibanda is awarded the prize for her many years of work on research and development through policy and advocacy in southern Africa through the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN), where she has served as CEO since 2004.

FANRPAN is perceived to be one of the most influential policy networks in the southern African region. Focus areas include policy research and advocacy work on food policies, agricultural productivity, natural resources and environment, and the impact of HIV/AIDS on agriculture and food security in southern Africa. Dr. Sibanda has played a global leadership role in fostering civil society inputs on agriculture for a long time. In 2009, Dr. Sibanda led the ” No-Agriculture, No-Deal “ global campaign and mobilized African civil society organizations to push for the inclusion of agriculture in the United UNFCCC negotiations.

Dr. Sibanda has built the advocacy capacity of FANRPAN through an innovative use of outreach strategy and communication activities, which help leverage and amplify the work done by the organization at the ground level. Through this multi-prong approach Dr. Sibanda has effectively built recognition for FANRPAN, allowing it to become one of the most recognized voices on African agriculture and food security, including a strong focus on women farmers.

FANRPAN identified youth as an important stakeholder group that is to be nurtured and included in agricultural policy processes. Dr. Sibanda launched the FANRPAN Youth in Agriculture Award in 2012.“

Congratulations to Lindiwe and Nnaemeka.