By Bamidele Odegbami
High-key delegation from the University of Ibadan (UI), on June 24, 2024, visited the Center for Community Based Farming Scheme (COBFAS) at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) to understudy its Farm Practical Year (FPY) Programmes.
The delegation included Prof. Olufemi Adebiyi from the Department of Animal Science, and Dr. Oyeyemi Dada from the Department of Crop Protection and Environmental Biology, both from the Faculty of Agriculture.
Prof. Adebiyi stated that their visit was in response to a directive from the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture at UI to learn from FUNAAB’s FPY Programmes.
He emphasised that the goal was to adopt and enhance UI’s final year practical programmes by emulating FUNAAB’s successful model.
“We have our own practical training, but we believe in improvement. When we see something good, we appreciate it, copy it, and enhance it. That is why we are here to see how you run your practical year,” said Prof. Adebiyi.
He noted that UI’s practical training was currently segmented into three parts across different academic levels, unlike FUNAAB’s continuous year-long programme.
Earlier, Prof. Sunday Adigbo, the Director of COBFAS, welcomed the visitors and appreciated their commitment to learning from FUNAAB’s robust FPY Programme.
He explained that FUNAAB’s programme spans one full calendar year and aims to equip students with the skills to become independent and self-reliant in the agricultural sector.
“We train our students to be self-reliant, not job seekers. When they leave FUNAAB, they can thrive independently anywhere in the world,” Prof. Adigbo said.
He further detailed that the programme covers 22 courses, including Tree Cropping, Arable Crops, Vegetables, Soil Fertility Management, Crop Protection, and Agrometeorology, among others.
The visit also highlighted COBFAS’s organisational structure, which included the Director, Deputy Directors for academic and farm operations, as well as various farm officers.
In attendance at the meeting were the Deputy Director Academic, COBFAS, Dr. Shakirat Ibrahim; Deputy Director, Farm, Mr. Oluwagbemiga Fashina; Principal Assistant Registrar, COBFAS, Mrs. Susan Odunaro, and the Centre’s Accountant, Mr. Felix Madubuko.
Meanwhile, Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Enugu; Ambrose Ali University (AAU), Ekpoma; Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, and Taraba State University, Jalingo had earlier visited COBFAS to understudy what the Centre has been doing.
