The Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA Professor Adenike Oladiji has said that engaging in sustainable agriculture will ensure abundance of food to feed the Nigerian populace and ultimately help in tackling the scarcity of food plaguing the country. She stated this on Saturday August 10,2024 at the commencement of the 2024 Farm Operations for Year II students taking part in the Crop and Soil Pest , CSP practical course.
Professor Oladiji said the dearth of annual crops is due to people abandoning farming which according to her is the mainstay of any economy. She said ” Nigeria is hungry today because people are no longer farming. We used to be an agrarian nation, but we have lost interest in farming. Some harmful practices put farmlands at risk, and such must be stopped. If each of us even practice a little backyard farming, will be able to feed our small families and communities. “
The Vice Chancellor reiterated that FUTA students are tutored and prepared to be solution providers adding that the experience the students acquire from the practical will justify the institution as a Centre of Excellence in food security and aid in equipping them to be agripreneurs in the future.
She said ” FUTA students can fit in anywhere in the world because of the resilience instilled into them as a result of the rigorous training they receive while on campus . This farming practical is one of the many exercises that train FUTA students. We are also teaching you how to make money from farming. Do not drop your implements after this planting season. Do it wholeheartedly”.
She commended staff of the department for sustaining the practice and giving the students exposure to farming despite how arduous and tasking it is saying that the philosophy behind the course is being actualized having harvested six tons of maize in the last farming season.
On her part the Dean, School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Professor Oluwatooyin Oludahunsi said the event is annual with the aim of inculcating the positive benefits of farming to the students. She said the skill sets learnt will be beneficial to the students in the immediate and in the future and also enable them to impact the society.
Lending his voice the Head of Department of Crop, Soil and Pest , Professor Babatunde Ewulo said the aim of the programme is to revitalize the interest of students in agriculture and also aid revenue generation in the university.
One of the students, IfeOluwa Anota, 200 level Industrial Design, stated that the course widens the students’ knowledge on Agricultural practices and will provide an avenue for diversification of career paths .
Peoplesmind
