Osun state: Varsity VC advises farmers to embrace smart agric

The Vice-Chancellor, Osun State University, Prof. Clement Adebooye, has advised Nigerian farmers to embrace smart agriculture for high yield and greater productivity.

The vice chancellor gave the advice during a workshop on Scaling-up Lifelong Learning for Farmers (L3F) sponsored by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Canada, in conjunction with Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI).

According to him, “With the advent of modern technology, farming has gone beyond the era of hoes and cutlasses and urged farmers to upgrade their skills through lifelong learning.

“Smart agriculture needs to be prioritised by farmers through indirect learning so as to have greater productivity,” he said.

Adebooye urged farmers to plan ahead for lifelong learning, and appealed to the organisers of the training to design training modules for farmers to sustain lifelong learning.

Speaking at the workshop, the Director of ARMTI, Dr Olufemi Oladunni, said that the training would ensure food security, agricultural production and support the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Nigeria.

Prof. Victor Okowua of the Deportment of Agricultural Economics, University of Ibadan, spoke on, prioritising the value chain for the attainment of SDG of self-sufficiency.

Okowua appealed to farmers to ensure that they choose particular value chain to concentrate on so as to achieve the SDGs.

He asked the farmers to prioritise value chain through acquisition of relevant knowledge.

Also speaking, Prof. Adeolu Ayanwale of the Department of Agricultural Economics, OAU, said that the knowledge gap among the farmers was discouraging youths from farming, resulting in lower productivity and welfare among farmers.

“But if lifelong learning persists, there would be a positive change among the prospective youth farmers,” he said.

According to him, the workshop was meant for NGOs, Federal and State ministries and parastatals agencies, principal officials in agricultural sector, among others, so as to serve as catalyst to encourage others.

Earlier, Head of Department of Agricultural Economics, OAU, Prof Adebayo Akinola, said that the workshop was designed to bring together farmers, institutions of learning, banks and information and communication technology providers to facilitate learning.

According to him, the workshop would empower vulnerable farmers and their families to gain knowledge on skills development, increase their productivity, food security and would liberate agricultural communities from socio-economic constraints.

He assured the participants that lifelong learning for farmers would improve their incomes through quality produce and increase their livelihoods and eradicate poverty at the rural areas.

“This makes it an inevitable tool for rural community development and a means for the achievement of Millennium Development Goals of eradicating hunger and poverty,” he stated.