Kunle Adelabu and Kemi Joseph (Trainee)
Mr Samuel Olayinka Sogunro, the Rector, Lagos State Polytechnic, has assured the government and the general public that the institution has what it takes to help in the development of agriculture and ensure that there is food security.
He stated that the institution is not paying lip service to agriculture while adding that LASPOTECH has contributed immensely to the development of agriculture in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole.
The Rector gave this assurance while delivering his speech at the 2nd Farmers’ Improvement Workshop (FIW) organized by the School of Agriculture, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu.
The event was held at the School of Agriculture Auditorium, lkorodu main campus, on Wednesday, February 19, 2020.
“Our Polytechnic is not paying lip-service to agriculture. The Academic Board has approved that all students in the institution must undertake and pass a General Agricultural Studies course before graduation, effective from 2019/2020 session.
“We appeal to the Ministry of Agriculture in the State to include the School of Agriculture, Lagos State Polytechnic, in the scheme of agricultural programmes in the State, especially in the area of human capacity development.
“We have equaled personnel that are relevant, nationally and internationally, to help the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture in the various programmes for agricultural development.
He stated that lecturers and students that worked and graduated from the institution have held important portfolios in both private and public Agricultural sector.
“Two former Commissioners for Agriculture were one-time Lecturers of the School of Agriculture, Lagos State Polytechnic. Similarly, our diplomats are manning various sections of the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and in the private sector”.
The Rector, who stated that the ‘Farmers’ Improvement Workshop’ (FIW) will bridge the gap of lack of poor access to production and marketing related knowledge, also stated that LASPOTECH has been a training School for the Ministry of Agriculture.
Mr Sogunro also stated that the workshop is a continuation of the institution’s Community Social Responsibility (CSR) in Agricultural development in the state and country at large.
He commended various interventions by both State and Federal Governments to improve farmers’ welfare and improve agricultural production in the country.
In her address, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Agriculture, Ms Bisola Olusanya commended the School of Agriculture, LASPOTECH, for creating a platform for farmers to interact and share knowledge, stating that agriculture is a key sector which ensures developments and food security of a nation.
She was represented by the Director of Planning & Research, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Bamisaiye.
“Agricultural sector has been recognized as a key fundamental for spurring growth, overcoming poverty and enhancing food security. Therefore, it is imperative to improve the welfare of our farmers in order to increase production of food in the community for accelerated economic growth especially in Lagos State”.
She stated that farmers’ welfare needs to be improved upon to if there to be increase productivity.
“One way to improve farmers’ welfare is through productivity enhancement in agriculture to reduce poverty as a result of increase in farmers’ income. Productivity can come by the use of improved varieties of crops in a given area, and new agricultural technology such as mechanized farming instead of subsistence farming.
She identified causes of low productivity in agriculture which include loss of soil, low access to technology and poor infrastructures among others and also disclosed ways the Lagos Government has been intervening.
“Low productivity in agriculture has been attributed to the loss of soil fertility or low use of fertilizers, traditional method of farming, low technology, poor infrastructure, lack of social amenities, lack of agricultural inputs or inability to afford inputs (such as fertilizers and seeds), lack of capital and inability to access land for cultivation”,the Special Adviser stated.
“It follows, therefore, that the extent to which poor farmers would gain from agricultural productivity depends on the specific circumstances of land distribution, market, infrastructure, institutions and demographic set ups”, she added.
“Farmers’ welfare is at the core of the policy of the present administration in the State. Intensification of better agricultural production system is one of the ways of improving the welfare of farmers and this can be achieved if farmers take advantage of improved crop variety and other modern technologies in their productive activities”.
MS Olusanya stated that for there to be sustainable agriculture that would improve famers’ welfare and bring about food security, there must be new ways of doing things.
“Research reveals that transition towards more sustainable agriculture requires a new knowledge base, with new content, forms of knowledge and new processes of learning. Increased Farmer’s innovative capacity through the application of information technology; internet and social networking, external institutional support, improved farmers institutional roles will strengthen the farmer’s/agribusiness competitiveness in the fast advancing Agricultural world”, Ms Olusanya stated.
The special Adviser listed ways through which the Lagos State Government has intervened in increasing farmers’ productivities.
“In order to improve the welfare of farmers in Lagos State to increase food productivity and improve food security, the present government has supported the farmers with programs and welfare packages which include: Extension Services, Agricultural Value Chain Empowerment, Eko Farmer’s Market which is an initiative that ensures farmers bring their produce to the market directly”.
She also listed Access to Agricultural land through the Agricultural Land Holding Authority an agency in charge of land in the Ministry of Agriculture, Access to health facilities by establishing Health Centers and Primary Health Care in the farm settlements and rural areas for the farmers and the community, Agricultural Bank loan whereby the Ministry advised the farmers to form a cooperative group to access loans through the Micro – finance, Bank of Agriculture and other Banks and Programs and Projects such as Anchor Borrowers Scheme for the farmers to access capital and land for farm activities to improve productivity as parts of the State government’s efforts at improving farmers’ productivity.
The Dean, School of Agriculture, LASPOTECH, Dr Adebayo R. Ashafa, speaking with THE IMPACT, stated that the initiative was designed to bring farmers together and discuss their challenges and fashion out ways of resolving them.
“It’s a program that brings farmers together to interact and share their challenges. Some even think they have problems in their farms, other farmers know the answer to the problem and so they share ideas. It’s an interactive section and some of their challenges will be collated and be forwarded to respective organizations that will assist them, maybe the government, the research institutes. So, that is the essence of the program”.
He stated that LASPOTECH has made agricultural study an entrepreneur course.
”lt’s enterprenuership so it is not just farming now. It’s Agric business, there are so many aspects of agriculture even without you planting, raising chickens, you can sell eggs. It’s called value chain. You tell people through the media so they ask for it and they buy what you are selling, that is marketing”.
The syndicate group/knowledge-sharing session held during the workshop dealt with challenges and proffered practical solutions to numerous agricultural engagements like Piggery and other Livestock Farming, Fish Farming, Crop Farming and Processing and Feed milling among others.
The resource persons during the interaction established that farmers must note that feeding birds during hot and cold season differs while suggesting that birds should be fed early and their water change from time-to-time to prevent them from drinking warm or hot water.
They encouraged that birds should be fed around 6am during the dry or hot season and that farmers should lighten the poultry.
This according to experts, will bring about increase farmers’ production.
They also encouraged those just getting into farming to seek knowledge and study experience farmers that have gone through the thick and thin of farming.
Other points established at the workshop is that farmers should patronize professional feed manufacturers, day light should be increased during hot season and that farmers should be concern about energy content in the feeds for their birds among others.
