Food Security: Commonwealth of Learning Partners OAU, Others to Train Over 100 Farmers On Digital Agriculture

The Commonwealth of Learning(COL), Canada, in conjunction with Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife and Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin, has trained over 100 vegetable farmers on digital agriculture.

The Workshop tagged "Training the Trainers" was held at the OAU Progressive(IFE) Cooperative Investment and Credit Society Limited building on Friday.

The Convener of the Programme, Prof Adeolu Ayanwale from the Faculty of Agricultural Economics, OAU, Ile-Ife, commended the donors for giving a lifelong learning opportunity for the farmers, which he said woll be for the benefit of mankind.

Ayanwale said that the programme came at the right time that Nigeria is facing the challenges of food insecurity, saying this workshop would profer solutions and give hopes to the hopeless.

He told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the essence of the training is to sensitise the farmers on the potential digital facilities that would improve their production.

"We discovered that the manual way of farming is not very efficient , so we want to let people see the potential of digital agriculture, encourage and teach them on how to use it on various ways.

"This workshop would change the notion of some people that every vegetable that has fertilizer application is not healthy for humanity.

"But farmers would understand that the right quantity, quality, time and place of fertilizer application on vegetables matter most". He expressed 

The Convener admonished the participants to train others at home and let them know that that the fertilizer should be applied in a way that would be useful to the plants and human consumption.

Dr Mary Idowu, a Commonwealth Scholar from the Faculty of Agricultural Economics, OAU, trained the participants to make use of social digital advisors such as Facebook, WhatsApp, telegram, Twitter, E-mail and phone calls for vegetables productivity.

Idowu maintained that fertilizer is not a poison, if well applied to the vegetables, but would made farmers to get good yield, good vegetables which is nutritious to humans health.

She promised that the participants would be empowered and be trained on the right method of how to use fertilizers, for them to produce good vegetables that would promote the health of the masses and bring more money to them.

According to her, they would be thought the method for planting, spacing the plants and be able to identify nutrients deficiency symptoms on the plants.

The Commonwealth Scholar ensured their readiness to assist and train more farmers for them to solve the problems of the nation, called for government support on farmers on lifelong learning. 

In the same vein, Dr Olufemi Oladunni, the Executive Director, ARMTI, urged vegetable farmers to make sure that they are trust worthy, honest, responsible, discipline, patient, fairness in their team.

Oladunni, who was represented by Mr Peter Popoola, the Contract Faming Facilitator (CF), counselled them to be participating effectively well in their group by being punctual and regular and contribute immensely as at when due.

He advised them further to have positive attitude, share information that would be useful, approachable, be relevant, have family support and have good knowledge of own economic standing.

Mr Olusegun Oni, A trainer and Researcher at ARMTI, enlightened vegetable farmers on financial literacy, asked them to start their business with their savings, instead of getting bank loans.

Oni appealed to them on adequate planning, records keeping, savings in case of emergency needs and for business continuation as well as partronising internet banking, mobile application, automated teller machines.

Additionally, the Management Development Officer at ARMTI, Mr Kingsley Olurinde, advised vegetable farmers to ensure efficient market for their produce even before production.

Olurinde thought them on business transactions, how to advertise their produce on digitally on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter among others.

He trained them on designing marketing strategy for their vegetable production, such as: price, place, preservation, packaging and rebranding their vegetable up to exporting them to avoid wastage.

A Professor of Soil Science and Former Dean of Agriculture Faculty, OAU, Prof Duro Oyedele, admonished vegetables farmers to have contract arrangements with their buyers on sales of their produce.

Oyedele charged them to make use of new technology for their goods despite the price fluctuation, climate change and climate variability in order for their efforts not to put abortive.

One of the participants, who spoke on behalf of others, President of Agro Processor, Osun State, Mrs Comfort Olaosun, appreciated the organisers of the programme, saying she benefited immensely on the workshop.

Olaosun expressed readiness to utilise the knowledge she has gained to train others as well as increase members of her team.

(NAN)