The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Farming

  • ‘Invest in farming’

    ‘Invest in farming’

    An agriculturist, Yomi Adigun, has called on Nigerians to invest in farming as a money spinning venture capable of stimulating economic development.

    Adigun gave the advice at the youth convention organised by the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Agbara Olohun Logbani, Lalupon, Ibadan.

    He maintained that agriculture remains the only sustainable economic sector in the world.

    The agriculturist advised the youth not to rely on white collar jobs which are not available but venture into farming that is capable to create wealth both for macro and micro economy.

    His words:”Youths don’t need to wait for big capital before they start farming. Businesses started with big capital usually fail because of lack of discipline.

    “You can succeed as an agriculturist with four major attributes – desire, determination, dedication and discipline.

    “I urge federal and state governments to aggressively engage youth in agricultural development to drastically reduce terrorism, restiveness, and other social vices.”

    The youth coordinator, Pastor Samuel Olusina Edwards, said the church organised the programme to bring youths together every year.

     

  • Sokoto flood: Dry season farming to the rescue

    Sokoto flood: Dry season farming to the rescue

    After floods devastated farmlands in Sokoto State, the Aminu Tambuwal administration has revealed its plan to irrigate farms in the dry season in order to mitigate the effects of the disaster and ensure enough food for the state.

    The government also said it will distribute subsidised farm inputs such as fertilisers and seedlings to cushion the effect of the floods.

    Many parts of the state were flooded, leaving farmers lamenting their losses.

    The state government’s latest response to the disaster was made known Governor Tambuwal’s spokesman, Imamý Imam following a visit to the governor by the state’s farmers.

    Tambuwal equally said his administration will sink tube-wells for the farmers, build more dams and water silos, noting that irrigation farming requires more water than other inputs.

    “This proactive action is aimed at supplementing these hugeý losses to avert food shortages this year and beyond,’’ he stressed.

     

  • Late rains cripple farming

    Farmers  in the Southewest  are battling water shortage during the planting season – no thanks to late rains.

    The Programme Coordinator, Farmers Development Union (FADU), Mr Victor Olowe, cited small yams that have been harvested by farmers as evidence of the water problem.

    Farmers had complained of lack of rains, which affected  their early planting.

    The problems of farmers with climate change was visible in most part of the North and South where farmers are reviving their agricultural heritage.

    According to reports, farmers can only cultivate paddy, millet, beans and other commodities in the few areas of land due to late rains. Crops are limp,while livestock are struggling to find feeds as farmers anxiously await rains.

    Despite a reasonable start in the season, many crops are drying off from a lack of substantial follow-up rain.

    While it is not happening everywhere, farmers in the Southwest  are concerned with the problem.

    Observers believe productivity this year will be reduced drastically.

    The Provost, Oyo State College of Agriculture, Igbo Ora, Oyo State, Prof. Gbemiga Adewale, said bad weather could cripple harvests, adding that this could  affect food prices.

    He urged farmers to focus on tackling climate change, saying it is crucial to tackling miserable harvests.

    The resulting tight supplies of many feed grains could drive up the prices of agricultural commodities.

    Besides, livestock and poultry producers are lamenting the effects of smaller supply and climbing cost of feed.

    Vice President, Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria(ASBON),Mr  Stephen Oladipupo said this expense has become unmanageable as consequences is worsening on a daily basis. He  said the dramatic increase in the prices of animal feeds is giving poultry farmers problems.

    He warned that, without government action on the feed shortage, consumers and producers will experience devastating effects, from the farm to the meat aisle.

    He said that the costs of animal feed is getting higher by the day.

    However, the farmers cannot adjust the prices for poultry or cattle according to the rising input costs due to competing with imported products and the demand from domestic customers.

    Across the fisheries sector, fishmeal has become a “high-price” strategic marine protein. This follows increasing  local  demand for fishmeal, driven by the growth of the aquaculture industry — while supply is declining, prices are “naturally expected to rise.

    Operators say fishmeal is in short supply due shortage in key feed components. Clearly, with a volatile, but long-term declining supply and rising prices, local fish business operators are  rationing  the use of fishmeal and fish oil.

     

  • Funds’ paucity, equipment hinder fish farming growth

    Lack of funds, fish drying machines and other equipment have been identified as factors affecting the SUTEX Fish Farm at Okongntekong Ete village in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

    The President of Ukpum Ete Youth Association, Comrade Ubong Essien, highlighted the challenges on the farm and appealed for government’s assistance when the state governor visited and inspected some basic facilities for skill acquisition development in the area. The Youth President urged the state government to come to their aid through provision of more capital  to accelerate efforts in training more youths in the area, and promised to be law abiding.

    Represented by the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Skills Development Project Centre, Dr. Majorie Abasiodiong George, the governor congratulated youths from Ukpum Ete clan for pro-actively initiating lofty programmes that would engage youths meaningfully in the area.

    The governor advises youths to engage themselves in raising fish of all sorts, and engage in other skill developmental activities in order to stem the tide of unemployment in the state.

    George, who commended the leadership of Ukpum Ete Youth Association, thanked them for giving youths in the area a pride of place in skill acquisition and other developmental activities, adding that, she was impressed with the fact that, youths in the community did not fold their arms to wait for white collar jobs from the government, but make good use of their resources to establish a fish farm.

    She, however, called on youths in the area to support government programmes and shun acts capable of giving the community a bad image.

    She lauded the pragmatic efforts of the Managing Director of SUTEX Farm in establishing such farm in the community, adding that, the administration of Mr. Udom Emmanuel is interested in developing skills in youth on all sectors of the state’s economy.

  • Clean-up: Excited Ogoni indigenes eager to go back to farming

    Clean-up: Excited Ogoni indigenes eager to go back to farming

    Ogoni people are excited over the government’s plan to clean up their environment as that will make them go back to their traditional jobs of farming and fishing, as well as enjoy unpolluted air, writes AKINOLA AJIBADE.

    Ogoni sons and daughters appear set to return to their traditional occupation of farming, and fishing as the Federal Government embarks on the  long overdue clean-up of their environment that has been destroyed by oil spills.

    The clean up exercise, which the government promised to be in line with the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) recommendations, was not only greeted with applause  among the people of Ogoniland, it has also marked the dawn of a new era for the people who have for long not been engaging in fishing and farming because oil spills that polluted their lands and waters.

    With the Federal Government planning to stick to UNEP’s report which stated that stakeholders in the Niger Delta region must  work together to restore polluted environments and put an end to all forms of contaminations in the oil producing region, better days are ahead for people of Ogoniland, who are seriously looking for opportunties to go back to their traditional jobs.

    The Chairman, Council of Chiefs, Bodo Communities in Kogana Local Government of Rivers State, Mene Slyvester Kogbara, said the over 16,000 residents of the communities cannot wait to go back to  fishing, farming, palm oil production, palmwine tapping and other activities as government plans to clean up their land and rivers in order restore their natural habitats.

    He said Ogoniland people are originally fishermen and farmers, adding that they have been practising the occupations for decades.

    He said: ‘’Historically, the Ogoniland have been cut off from their roots since they are unable to use their lands and rivers for fishing, due to oil spills.  While some engage in subsistence farming, others are into mechanised farming. The same applies to fishing.  With oil exploration activities destroying their aquatic lives, farmlands, forests and other natural habitats, the people of Ogoniland have no choice than to do jobs that are not satisfactory to them.  Now that Federal Government is planning to  clean up our land, we would definitely go back to farming and others. ‘’

    He said farmlands covering  12,000 acres was destroyed by oil spills, stressing that his people would be able to practise farming well, once the government cleans up the land.

    ‘’This aside, land used for cash crops, farming and fishing by my people was destroyed. They are used to those jobs and they cannot do any other jobs.  That is why we told Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) that payment of compensation was not enough. They (the Company) should clean up our land and waters. No matter the amount Shell paid us, we would squander the money once we do not have areas to invest the money in.  My people know the importance of farming and fishing, and would not hesitate to invest the money  Shell paid them in the two activities,” he added.

    Also, the Director of Environment, Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CHERD), Obodoekwe Styvn, said the people of Ogoniland are eager to go back to farming and fishing once the government cleans up their land.

    He said the Ogoni people are praying that the government should do correct clean up/remediation so that they can go back to their traditional occupations. He said Ogoniland is made up of  local people who would always like to cling  on to their traditional ways of life despite all odds, stressing that such people would want to go back to fishing or farming which they were forced to abandon by oil pollutions.

    ‘’Ogonis are of farmers and fishers folks. Even with polluted environment, many still do farming and fishing, although they have to toil much more than before to get little or no yields. Some go to far distances in order to do the jobs upon which they depend for survival. Farming and fishing among other local economic activities will certainly be boosted if ogoni environment is properly restored. Yes, people will go back to their original occupation. Moreover, whether they want to go back to their traditional occupation or not, ogonis, like others, are entitled to clean environment.’’ Obodoekwe said.

    According to him, the Ogoni people are tired of living like endangered species, and are ready to go back  to local activities like farming and fishing, if their environment is properly restored by the government.

    Obodoekwe said the people are anxious to go back to farming and fishing, despite the UNEP report which stated that it would take about 30 years to clean the mess caused by oil pollution and return the environment to a useful and productive area.

    Sharing Obodoekwe views was,  the Business Development Manager, Cerase Environmental Services, Gloria Igboji, who said it is high time Shell, the communities and the Federal Government worked together to end clean-up Ogoniland, and return the people to their traditional occupation.

    She said failure to  clean up the Ogoniland in time, means  inhabitants of the area would not be able to do farming and fishing, which are their major occupations.

    She advised the government to compel institutions that would clean the oil polluted areas to use quality chemicals to avoid a re-occurrence of the problems, adding such efforts would make the Ogoni people to back to their traditional jobs.

    In a related development, Shell has welcome leadership shown by President Buhari in setting up governance structure for implementation of the United Nations Environmental Programme’s report on the cleaning of oil polluted communities the Niger-Delta region.

    Shell, according to its Spokesman, Precious Okolobo, said its ready to identify with the government’s aspirations to clean up Ogoniland in order to restore normalcy in the area.

    The firm said the oil-polluted communities and the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) were helping its resolve to ensure a cleaner and friendly atmosphere in areas where it is producing oil in the Niger-Delta region.

    Shell said its not only  committed to deliver the UNEP recommendations directed to it as operator of the SPDC Joint Venture, but would continue to work with the Federal  Government and its joint venture partners in order to take the implementation of the UNEP report forward, and contribute to the growth of the communities where it operates.

    Shell added: ‘’ We’re greatly encouraged by the positive and constructive response from representatives of the communities, non-governmental organisations, and the civil society in the Niger-Delta. This is an important step forward and SPDC is determined to play its part in maintaining the momentum.’’

    The firm said it has taken some measures to remove the spills, caused by its oil exploration activities in the Niger-Delta, arguing that its wholly in support of any move to rid the area of pollutants.

    The company said it has cleaned up 47 out of the 50 pipelines that were vandalised, and employed contractors to protect the pipelines, as part of efforts to reduce oil spills in Ogoniland.

    The firm said it has promised to contribute to $1billion Ogoniland Restoration Fund, while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Environment in 2014.

    Shell and the Bodo Communities have been at logger heads over the embroiled cleaning of the oil polluted areas.  The two parties have been trading blames on the issue of cleaning the oil polluted areas.

    While Shell, on one hand, accused the communities of not cooperating with it to clean up the spills which, occurred as a result of its oil exploration activities, the communities, on the other hand, alleged that Shell was not applying the right chemicals to clean the land.  This informed the decision of Shell to appear before the House of Representatives Committee on Environment in 2004 to explain the reason for the delay in cleaning up the Ogoniland, years after the land was destroyed by oil spills.

  • Farmers explore greenhouse farming to increase food security

    Farmers explore greenhouse farming to increase food security

    Faced with unpredictable weather conditions, many Nigerians are turning to greenhouse farming technology to increase food production and supplement their income. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

    To boost food production, farmers have been in search of crops cultivation technologies that would help them control the climate for their plants 24 hours a day.

    This will allow their plants grow strong, healthy and big. One of these is under net houses. Net houses are framed or inflated structures covered with transparent or translucent material large enough to grow crops under partial or full controlled environmental conditions to get optimum growth and productivity. Net house farming, also known as greenhouses is fast gaining popularity among farmers because it enables them grow exotic vegetables, flowers and fruits throughout the year and help to  improve the depleting water table. This means farmers can grow crops  anytime  of the year and make the most use of land. The  technology gives plants exactly what they need – the perfect climate, the right amount of light, the right amount of nutrition, exact amounts of water and carbon dioxide and  proper ventilation.

    According to experts, the yield under greenhouse cultivation can be achieved to the level of 5-8 times as compared to the open crop cultivation which is two times.

    Also, it is possible to harvest a single crop round year with minimum additional inputs and higher income can be generated.

    Vegetables and flowers grown under greenhouses have given high returns and top quality produced. The potential of floriculture under protected cultivation is huge for global markets.

    One of the companies that have adopted greenhouse farming is Vegefresh Company Limited, an indigenous producer of tomato paste. This is to help the company achieve the goals of its National Integrated Tomato Development Programme which has commenced in Ogun and other states of the federation.

    The company farms and processes tomatoes. The addition of green houses enables it to produce tomatoes all year round.

    Its Chairman, Mr. Samuel Johnson Samuel said the  company  acquired greenhouses to enable it produce tomato year round and provide raw materials for its tomato processing plants.

    Under the net houses, the plants are protected from wind, precipitation, excess radiation and temperature. The other benefits are that crops of good quality and higher yield can be grown, water requirement is very less, while the low labour-intensive method helps in controlling pests and diseases.

    Indeed, Samuel is excited about his tomato project having seen the potential of a year-long harvest to service his tomato processing business. Though acquiring it costs some few millions, the facilities provide atmosphere for growth that is unaffected by outside changes.

    Due to very little sunlight access, humidity of the fertiliser is maintained, external insects and organisms that harm a plant don’t enter it and plant growth is even due to same climatic condition.

    To date, greenhouse farming has proved popular with big farmers and investors, who find it suitable for labour-intensive food production. The facility providers believe greenhouses represent potential growth market for a variety of economical, environmentally technical and ecological reasons and they are taking advantage of this to grow their businesses.

    An example is Dizengoff West Africa Nigeria, a member of the United Kingdom Balton CP Group and few of the organisations that have introduced greenhouse farming system into the market.

    For the company, if Nigeria has to emerge as an economic power, agricultural productivity should equal those countries, which are currently rated as economic powers of the world.

    To this end, the sector needs a new and effective technology which can improve continuously the productivity, profitability, sustainability of the farming system. One such technology is the greenhouse technology.

    Consequently, the company is training farmers and entrepreneurs on the use of its greenhouse technology for fresh vegetable production.

    The training focused on the production and post-harvest management of vegetables such as tomatoes, pepper and cucumber using the greenhouse technology.

    Its Marketing Communications Manager, Humphrey Otalor said the company has over 300 greenhouses across Nigeria.

    His words: “Over the past one year, we have engaged well over 200 greenhouse owners through a systemic training, which are both in theory and practical with the aim of helping farmers grow fresh vegetables in season and out of season, as well as helping them understand the different soil topography. With our greenhouses, farmers are able to grow their income levels, by growing fresh vegetable all year round: such are tomatoes, pepper, cucumber and sweet-melon. Also, some use our greenhouse for research purposes.”

    Dizengoff greenhouse technology otherwise called ‘Dizengoff Farmers Kit’ is aimed at providing farmers with an all year round technique to produce and increase the yields of greenhouse crops such as tomatoes, pepper, cucumber and sweet-melon as well as provide steady incomes for the farmers. It also involves transfer of knowledge to the farmers to improve the quality of their produce, reduce field losses and ensure higher profits.

    Presently, a number of farmers who have adopted the Dizengoff Farmer’s Kit are already enjoying high productivity from the system and most of them believe that with the increased demand of such crops in the market, the Kit, which is now widely being adopted, will help meet the rising demand.

    In terms of affordability, Otalor said the greenhouses are affordable and they are also talking to some banks, to provide loans for interested farmers on a single digit interest rate. While the technology has been associated with wealthy individuals, this is changing, thanks to many initiatives to produce low cost greenhouse to support small scale farms in urban and rural areas venturing into tomato and pepper growing.

    One of the farmers driving this change is Adewale Okunoye. He is an agric engineer by training. He is developing low- cost greenhouses. Okunoye, Chief Executive, Asher Ventures and Specialities, has successfully cultivated a variety of crops at his greenhouse set up at Ajah,Lagos.

    Though cheap compared to others, Okunoye has been able to achieve the objective of cultivating vegetables under a locally made greenhouse which still offer controlled conditions for the growth of different varieties of vegetables. Before he went into farming, he was into building/construction project management.

    His greenhouse, made up of low materials can be used to grow tomato, sweet peppers,orange, cucumber and vegetables. Apart from these, it can be used to cultivate varieties of flowers.

    Agricultural experts said cultivating fruits, flowers and vegetables in the greenhouse year-round requires maintaining a favourable temperature inside the greenhouse for the plants. He is happy he is able to achieve this.

    People aware of advantages of greenhouses have been approaching him to set up greenhouses at their farms and fields.

    Okunoye went into greenhouse constructing after quitting a career in building construction. Along the line, he thought of tomato cultivation. But he realised tomato farming is better done through greenhouse. With a greenhouse, he can extend tomato growing season to three crop cycles.

    Although greenhouses were available outside the country when he was starting, they were too large and too expensive for rural farmers. He thought of a way out. His words: “I got the idea of using local materials partially from my trip to East Africa in my quest to acquire the capacity to deploy the greenhouse cultivation technology. I took extensive and expensive tours around tomato greenhouse operations and from what I saw, with my background as an engineer, and my experience in construction, I came to the conclusion that I could try something similar in Nigeria.”

    After failed trials, Okunoye has produced a perfectly functional type. With all hardwares, it costs just N700,000. To produce for someone, he promised to do it for N800,000. The area of the greenhouse is 200m2. He opted for improvised greenhouses with lower maintenance costs that uses water more efficiently and one that can be easily moved to cut on setup costs.

    His dream is to produce a greenhouse for 400,000 naira.

    To Okunoye, greenhouse farming has opened a new chapter in his life. He is able to provide food for his family and educate his children. His passion and use of cheap materials is what has driven him to attain success so far.

  • ‘Why I prefer farming to white collar job’

    ‘Why I prefer farming to white collar job’

    Founder, Springboard, a non-governmental organisation (NGO),  Lawrence Afere, has said the group seeks to create jobs and promote agriculture through organic farming and entrepreneurial training.

    In 2007, when  Afere graduated from the university, he shocked his family with his decision not to use his business management degree to search for a high-paying job in the big city. Instead, he went for social entrepreneurship in agriculture in his hometown Akure,  the Ondo State capital.

    “It was a difficult decision because my parents and siblings were not happy that I was returning home. They expected I’d get a job in the city and then be able to help them as well,” he said.

    His family thought he must be bewitched. After all, who would choose  farming over a high-paying job?

    “But I told my parents: ‘Please dad, please mom, I need to do something different with my life.’”

    And that was what he did. Today, Springboard offers youths a six-month training on agriculture and business. Participants are also grouped and provided with input and farmland. At the end of harvest, each group gets 80 per cent of the profit, while the balance is reinvested into  the organisation.

    Social entrepreneurship was not Afere’s initial plan when he gained admission to study business at the  university. Like many in his class, he was excited about a job in banking or in the oil and gas sector.

    “And I studied really hard, so I could come out with good results that could get me a good job,” he said.

    And Afere’s parents could not be prouder. The organisation has not just generated stable incomes for himself, but for many youths in his community.

    Last year, he was named a Mandela Washington Fellow. He visited the United States and spent a few weeks meeting President Barack Obama and some business leaders.

    But he will never forget the moment  all this changed for him. It was on Friday, November 17, 2006. He was at the library, catching up on some news before hitting the books, and came across a report released by the minister of education. It revealed some shocking statistics about unemployment, and how the majority of young people finishing school were unable to find work. But most shocking of all was the predicted effect this would have on the population.

    “It said by 2020, Nigeria – my dear country – would have raised over 20 million highly skilled criminals. Every year, we are raising more than one million skilled criminals. We are not raising highly skilled professionals in medicine, in law, vocational skills, but we are raising criminals.

    “And, so all my plans for life, for everything, changed from that. I decided that rather than just getting a job, let me rather help young Nigerians get jobs – and in the process – get something going for myself.”

    A  net importer of food? No!

    Once Afere knew he wanted to be a social entrepreneur focused on youth empowerment and job creation, the next step was to work out where he could best do this. Nigeria’s under-utilised agricultural potential caught his attention.

    “Why do we import a lot of food into the country when we have millions of hectares of land that we could use to produce our own? Why are we still senseless – buying food from India, from Thailand, all these countries in Asia, when we can grow all of this food? Millions of hectares of land are wasting,” he highlighted.

    “If you combine agriculture with youths, you can transform this country within years. And that’s why I decided I’m going to help do that.”

    In 2008, he started the Youth Farm Project, which brought together young people in his community to cultivate some donated land. The initiative started to grow and was renamed Springboard in 2012. It has trained over 500 youths since inception. And the programme is also scaling up operations, so it can train 100 people every six months.

    “We have access to over 15 hectares of farm land, and the community is willing to give us more land if we have more young people to train.”

    Towards the end of last year, Afere also managed to raise enough capital to start the construction of a plantain chips processing and packaging factory. And last month, it began production of Springboard’s branded plantain chips. They are already being sold in three states, and Afere plans to distribute to other African countries in the future.

    According to Afere, one of the initiative’s goals is to change the perception of farming among youths. ‘’Many do not view it as an attractive career path, especially the young people in the rural and semi-urban areas; they have seen their parents over the years suffer as farmers … They are so poor and the middle men make more money than they do. And so these young people are discouraged. This is one reason why they want to leave rural areas and go to the cities in search of jobs,” Atere said.

    To slow this trend, Afere hopes to make agriculture “fashionable” among youths. “We help them to see there is a good market for produce, and that you can actually become wealthy cultivating the land,” he added.

    The initiative also teaches business skills, such as how agri-preneurs can get produce to market without using middle men that cut into profits.

    “Farming should be a business. It should not be seen as something only poor people do. You can build your farm and it can become a great business. So, we teach farming as a business. And if you run your business well, it can help you earn a good income. So, that’s what we help them to see: they are a farmer and they are an entrepreneur.”

    The programme, he explained, shows that good farmers and good entrepreneurs have a lot in common. For example, to nurture and grow both crops and companies require hard work, teamwork, re-investment, time-management, planning ahead and patience.

    “A farmer must be patient, allowing his crops to grow and mature before harvesting. The same thing with entrepreneurs – they sacrifice instant gratification for long term success,” he added.

  • Wanted: A blueprint for profitable cocoa farming

    The Chief Operating Officer, Centre for Cocoa Development Initiative, Mr Robo Adhuze, has called for a blueprint that will make cocoa farming profitable.

    He appealed to investors to pump funds into cocoa production and help to position the industry as a viable area for economic growth, wealth creation and employment.

    To create a robust industry, Adhuze said the industry needed nurseries, processing facilities, more training for cocoa farmers and increased extension services that the association provides to make a sustainable impact on the industry.

    He said the sector needed assistance to help attract more youths to the industry, considering that the average age of cocoa farmers is 60.

    He said young farmers need all the assistance to sustain their interest in the cultivation of the commodity, which should include access to fund, land, fertiliser and other chemicals at a highly subsidised rate.

    He said there was need for the government to pursue a transformative initiative aimed at  empowering farmers to become more productive and secure for the future of cocoa.

    He said cocoa farmers needed more support and that they should be paid a fair price.

    Given the varied issues facing farming communities, he stressed that the right strategies would  help turnaround the sector.

    He said some local cocoa farmers had abandoned their land, which they considered unproductive, following poor yields of their cocoa trees that have a life span of between 25 and 30 years, calling for assistance to enable them replace them.

  • How farming can reduce poverty

    How farming can reduce poverty

    The Vice-Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University (AAUA), Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, has delivered the 69th inaugural lecture of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA). He listed steps the nation  can take to reduce poverty. YOMI AYELESO (300-Level Business Administration, AAUA) reports.

    An inaugural lecture is an opportunity for a professor to show his academic prowess.

    It is a platform through which lecturers give account of their research on their field of specialisation.

    This, the Vice-Chancellor, of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, did when he delivered the 69th inaugural lecture of the Federal University of Technology in Akure (FUTA), Ondo State.

    Ajibefun, spoke on Nigeria’s agricultural policy, productivity and poverty: The critical nexus. He described agriculture as the mainstay of the economy, saying households that constituted the bulk of the population would continue to derive livelihood from agriculture.

    The VC, a professor of Agricultural Economics, said for Nigeria to achieve food security and reduce poverty, the government must support local farmers with incentives to encourage food farming. He identified climate change, land and soil degradation as major challenges confronting the agricultural sector.

    He said: “Government should ensure an unhindered access to loans for farmers to improve productivity and support technology-driven farming.”

    Ajibefun advised farmers to construct irrigation and drainage on their farmlands, noting that the system was crucial to ensure adaptation to climatic change. He added: “There is a need to radically depart from reliance on rain-fed food production through heavy utilisation of irrigation. This will increase crop production and make farmers adapted to change of climate.”

    He said agricultural growth would depend on improved agricultural technology, adding that the nation would only achieve economic development and reduce poverty if it is adapted to agricultural technology that would involve a continuous adaptation to changes in climate.

    As long as farmers can gain access to these technologies and markets to sell their produces, he said the prospect of continued growth in agricultural productivity would be sustained.

    While lamenting increasing poverty in Africa, the VC said it would take investment in technology-driven agriculture to lift the impoverished out of their condition. He called for an all-inclusive agricultural policy to pave the way for sustained diversification of the economy. This, he said, is possible given the development of manufacturing industry and advanced technology.

    Ajibefun advised the government to make efforts to enhance rural financing and micro-enterprise to sustain the development of smallholder farming. He said farmers should be trained in environmental management and marketing strategy.

    He said: “A systematic approach must be taken to finding and piloting innovations. For us to reduce poverty and improve societal wellbeing, African countries need to borrow a leaf from agricultural success stories of countries, such as Israel, Brazil and China, which invested heavily in agricultural research and made critical reforms to policies and institutions and tapped into international sources of agricultural technology to raise productivity, lower food prices and stimulate economic growth.”

    Sub-Saharan African countries, he said, must provide their scientists with the necessary research tools to enhance food security. He said a  investments in research and development, and effective interaction between researchers and the farm households were the key to raising the agricultural productivity and poverty reduction.

    Earlier, the chairman of the occasion and FUTA Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adebiyi Daramola, described the inaugural lecturer as a first class scholar of international repute and an achiever.

    The event was attended by dignitaries, including Governor Olusegun Mimiko, represented by Commissioner for Education, Mr Jide Adejuyigbe; Rector of the Federal Polytechnic in Ile-Oluji, Prof Adedayo Fasakin; Acting Rector, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic (RUGIPO), Mr Boniface Ologunagba, and Chairman of AAUA Governing Council, Amb. Oladele Akadiri.

  • Director to Bayelsa youths: farming can give you fame, money

    The Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Bayelsa, Dr Francis Umokoro, has advised the unemployed youth in the state to embrace agriculture as business.

    Umokoro, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Tuesday, said that farming could give them fame.

    According to him, agricultural development is also good for the nation building and will also boost food production.

    “No nation can survive without agriculture; so, let us encourage food production because our land is highly fertile for all kinds of crops.

    “We have gone round Bayelsa and established that you need no irrigation for any plantation, especially rice because of the swampy nature of the environment.

    “Cassava can survive; beans, yam and vegetable fruits can also survive here in Bayelsa.

    “It worries me each time I pass through highways and see vast of uncultivated land lying fallow and yet our youths are going round in circle without jobs,” the Director stressed.

    Umokoro said that to overcome the threat of unemployment in the country, all hands must be on deck, urging the youth in Bayelsa to develop interest in farming now.

    He said that the Federal Government was committed to building of human capacity in the area of agriculture.

    “The government has been up-and-doing in supplying farm inputs like fertiliser, tractors, seedling among others.

    “Bayelsa has been benefiting from the distribution of this fertiliser which is done on a subsidised rate and distribution is always four bags per hectare.

    “The farmers get them on a subsidised price, which means that the Federal Government pays 25 per cent, the state pay 25 per cent while the farmers pay 50 per cent.

    “So, the government has made it so easy that even the young farmers can invest and survive with farming; they can go for credit loan in banks,” he said.

    The director urged farmers in the state to educate the unemployed youth on the importance of agriculture in order to support farming business in the state and Nigeria at large.