Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation fund farming in Borno state.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Donates $1m To Borno State,as a post conflict intervention that is meant to support victims who are returning to their communities. The governor launched at the support with the distribution of 25 kilogram bag of rice and 10 kilogram bag of beans to each of 1,100 households at Mainok village in Kaga local government area, 45 kilometers away from Maiduguri. The Governor announced that officials of the State Government working with the Gates Foundation used the $1m to procure the food items and commenced funding of 100 hectares of farm where beans is being cultivated. He explained that 200 farm-families will be allocated tilled and fertile land measuring half hectare each along with improved seeds, fertilizer, chemicals and technical supervision so that they can start growing food crops. The Governor also announced the release of two trucks of maize grid to add to the food procured with Gates donation. The intervention from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is being used for food supplies and to fund farming activities for households. As a preliminary stage, beans is being cultivated in one hundred hectares of land. Half hectare is being allocated to a farm-family with a target of reaching 200 households. Each household may have from 2 to 10 family members. Already, farms have been established in Konduga and Damboa. Each household is to be allocated not only tilled and fertile land but also improved variety of seeds, fertilizer, chemicals and most importantly, technical field supervision by extension workers. The intervention aims at reaching 40,000 victims of the insurgency through households on both food aide and farming activity. We are particularly interested in ensuring that citizens begin to produce food crops in safe locations because direct food aide in post conflict situations is never sustainable over a long period of time.