Last Updated on January 27, 2025 by Olasunkanmi Olajide

…Calls on Youths to Contribute their Quota Towards Eradicating Hunger

By Emeka Oluka

The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, has called on youths to embrace farming as a means of contributing their quota towards eradicating hunger in the country.

Prof. Kehinde made the call while appreciating Horti Nigeria for donating farming tools, such as drip tapes, connectors end caps, and mulching film, to members of the Undergraduate Agri-business Training (UGAT) at the Agri-Machinery Road Show and Research Product Exhibition. The event was part of the 32nd Convocation Ceremony activities.

Filled with appreciation and excitement, Prof. Kehinde thanked Horti Nigeria for their partnership with FUNAAB and for elevating the youths. He promised that Horti Nigeria’s efforts would not go in vain and admonished the UGAT members that farming was a dignified profession, emphasising his words with the maxim “There is dignity in labour.”

Talking about the donation, Mr. Benedict Ukpukpem, the Inclusive Entrepreneurial Assistant for the International Fertiliser Development Centres (IFD) under the Horti Nigeria Programme, noted that the idea behind the donation was to help the students produce more yields all year round. He observed that IFD noticed there were lapses in farming among youths and decided to introduce them to innovation for good yields by making a donation.

The Team Lead for UGAT, Mr. Samuel Oyediran, appreciated Horti Nigeria for the donation. He stated that his team of young farmers had cleared the land allocated to them around the Ogun Oshun River Basin Development Authority (OORBDA) border with FUNAAB. Additionally, they had laid the bed and would start planting vegetables, pepper, and okra by February. Oyediran said they planned to utilise the Ogun Oshun dam and hoped to flood the campus with their produce soon.

Speaking on the partnership between FUNAAB and IFD, Prof. Isaac Aiyelaagbe said the essence of the partnership was to build the capacity of youths for commercial and entrepreneurial vegetable production. Aside from UGAT, Prof. Aiyelaagbe noted that IFD, working under Horti Nigeria, was helping to groom youths in various FUNAAB hubs, such as the Great Minds; Work, Earn and Learn Programme (WELP), and Organic Agro Pack and OLED. He noted that the overall expectation of the partnership was to have competent graduates and to produce real experts at the end of the day.