Agriculture

NIHORT Holds Training on Home Gardening

By Web News 280

By Rotimi Famakin

In line with the Federal Government’s Renew Hope Agenda, a day sensitization training on home gardening for neighbouring communities of the National Horticultural Research Institute, NIHORT has been inaugurated at the institute.

The training which drew fifty residents from NIHORT’s neighbouring communities focused on vegetable farming.

 Declaring the workshop opened, the Executive Director, NIHORT, Professor Lawal Atanda said the training became imperative following the intention of the Federal Government to ensure that food sufficiency is achieved in Nigeria.

“The main message is what the president has been saying that he is committed to making all Nigerians to be food sufficient in food and nutritional intake which is passed from our ministry, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and food security through agencies under the ministry of which NIHORT is one of them”.

That is why we are working in tandem with that. That is why we said all Nigerians should know how to cultivate what they are going to eat, and it is in that regard, we are training our neighbours. 

“We have been doing that across geopolitical zones. We now look inward this time around. This is the best time we can do irrigation farming and with this, people will have enabled knowledge and strategies and input to go into it because, after this training, we are going to give them some seed to start their own farming”.

Professor Atanda who urged the participants to make good use of the training said the program will benefit Nigerians saying food would be made sufficient as other neighbours of the selected beneficiaries would disseminate the knowledge to them.

“We are picking one person from each of the quarters that formed the neighbourhood of NIHORT and you should know we have a large neighbourhood. So when they get back home, they will train many people. We have quality seeds developed by our Indigenous scientists here, they will be able to share it among themselves and this will have a ripple effect.”

In her reaction, the director of research at NIHORT, who is also the coordinator of the home gardening training, Dr Olutola Oyedele said the beneficiaries were selected based on interaction with the leadership of NIHORT host communities.

“It is part of the institute’s responsibilities to the neighbours. The programme is going to be on a rolling basis in the sense that we will be taking them in batches since they are our neighbours. So, for the first batch, we are taking fifty. The next set of batches would come next year. This is December, now. We are rounding off. Fifty for a start. So it’s on a rolling basis, 50 per batch.”

“It is a continuous programme and it is one person per household, so to select that, we went into that through the various landlord associations around us, about 18 of them. So they sent us the list of interested participants. So out of that list, we are drawing them in batches. We are training them in vegetable production”.

She said fifty beneficiaries were selected to participate in the training adding that the project would be sustained with another set of fifty beneficiaries already selected for participation next year.

Some of the residents appreciated NIHORT for the gesture describing it as timely.

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Agriculture

FG Trains 28 Youths on Vegetable Farming

By Web News 452

By Rotimi Famakin

As part of federal government efforts towards reducing unemployment and ending food shortage in the country, twenty eight youths who had undergone nine months intensive training on vegetable farming graduated in Ibadan.

The training scheme sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security was anchored by National Horticultural Research Institute’s training initiative tagged Horticultural Academy for Youths (HAY).

Addressing the gathering on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Executive Director, National Horticultural Research Institute, NIHORT, Dr Lawal Atanda said the programme was developed in line with the ministry’s budget earmarked for the training of youths to reduce unemployment and ensure food sufficiency.

Dr Atanda who said the youths had been trained in low land and upland farming were selected based on the local governments that are around the institute.

The NIHORT Executive Director while urging the youths to start the Agric business said NIHORT would not only be ready to offer assistance to the graduands in the next one year but would consider the youths as their adopted farmers.

In her overview of the Horticultural Academy for Youths (HAY) Programme, Coordinator of the training programme, Dr Olutola Oyedele explained that the institute under the federal government funding had earlier run the training programme across the geopolitical zones in the country.

Dr Oyedele who said as at 2019, twenty series of the training programme had so far been conducted by NIHORT targeting men, women and youth added that shift towards the youths was informed by the directive of the Executive Director last year as the farming population was aging out.

Dr Oyedele said the graduands who were the first set of the new scheme were not only given two days training in January this year but also given plots of land, six seedlings, field book, mentorship and supervision.

Representatives of Oyo state ministry of trade and investment, media establishment, National Directorate of Employment, Ibadan Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as the National Orientation Agency, NOA said the training was timely adding that the training had broken the mismatch of skills and unemployment.

They urged the youths to work on the facilities given them by NIHORT approach them so as to access requisite facilities to upscale their business.

Two of the beneficiaries commended NIHORT for the opportunity given and pledged to replicate the training to others while also engaging in farming to contribute to food sufficiency. 

Our correspondent reports that apart from two certificates and farming guide given the graduands, six out of the twenty eight graduands were given an award of excellent and unwavering performance, hardwork and a fruitful accomplishment.

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Agriculture

Nigerians need enlightenment on home gardening – Expert

By Web News 609

By Mosope Kehinde

Director of Research, National Horticultural Research Institute, NIHORT, Ibadan, Dr Olutola Oyedele has advised federal government to embark on massive enlightenment campaign on the need for every household to engage on home gardening.

Dr Oyedele gave the advice while speaking with Premier FM on the occasion of this year’s World Food Day, which is celebrated annually on the 16th of October.

The researcher who said the menace of food insufficiency in Nigeria was as a result of inflation, bad road network and hike in prices of production inputs, said the home gardening would allow families grow what they eat and meet their immediate food needs.

While commending the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme and other agricultural initiatives of the federal government, Dr Oyedele appealed to relevant authorities to subsidize fertilizers and other agricultural production inputs for farmers.

She said post harvest wastages of farm produce was a major challenge in Nigeria, calling for an holistic techniques to manage the losses which she said account for about sixty percent of food losses.

Dr Oyedele also advocated for low cottage processing industries in each local governments across the country where such industry would mop up wastages and process them for off season consumption.

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Economy

Don Calls For Synergy Between Policy Makers, Researchers To Address Poverty

By Web News 609

Synergy between policy makers and researchers will help to address the needs of the citizenry.

This was the submission of a Director at the national horticultural research institute, NIHORT, Ibadan, Dr. Lawrence Olajide-Taiwo, while featuring on straight talk, an interview program on premier FM 93.5.

 Dr. Olajide-Taiwo stressed that there must be a felt needs assessment, empowerment and capacity building to adequately address extreme poverty in the country.

  He advised that the arms of government should collaborate to build strong structures for a sustainable economic development.

  The agriculture expert, urged Nigerians to go into farming, while encouraging patronage of home made goods to force down prices of food.

  Dr Olajide Taiwo advised government to periodically evaluate its social intervention programs and ensure proper implementation of agriculture policies.

   He enjoined everyone to harness the nation’s potential and get engaged in efforts to reduce poverty in the country.

Mosope kehinde

Agriculture

FG Supports Small-Scale Farmers In Oyo With Farm Inputs

By Web News 1167

Federal Government has disbursed seeds and seedlings to fifty small-scale farmers in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. 

The seeds and seedlings included fifty citrus seeds, fifty sachets of Amarantus seeds and five hundred plantain suckers.

Distributing the seeds to the farmers at Ibadan North West Local Government Secretariat, Onireke, the Executive Director, National Horticultural Research Institute, NIHORT, Dr. Abayomi Olaniyan said the gesture was to cushion the effects of COVID-19 on small scale farmers. 

Speaking through one of the Assistant Directors of the Institute, Dr. Adebisi Adelani, Dr. Olaniyan stated that the move would equally improve food security as well as eradicate poverty.

He assured that other small-scale farmers from other local councils and states would also benefit from the distribution of the seeds and seedlings. 

Chairman, Ibadan North West Local Government, Alhaji AbdulRahmon Adepoju appealed to the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the seeds and seedlings so as to check over-dependence of food items from other states.  Rotimi Famakin

Agriculture

NIHORT Boss Advocates Provision of Farm Implements for Youth Participation in Agriculture

By Web News 680

Chairman governing board of the National Horticultural Research Institute, NIHORT, major General Mohammed Garba retired wants state government to provide land and mechanized equipment through the local councils for youths participation in agriculture.

Major General Garba made this known during a three day capacity building for youths and women on Platain, Banana production and value addition in collaboration with Hauge Logistics Limited held at NIHORT, Ibadan.

The governing board Chairman noted that establishment of farm settlements and irrigation would encourage prospective youth farmers to venture into agriculture.


He noted that since the coming of president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, NIHORT has provided empowerment training to over two thousand five hundred individuals as the president had identified agriculture sector as having a high potential in job creation.


Major General Garba implored farmers and herders to live in peace for the sustainability of food production all year round.

Participants

In a welcome address, executive Director, NIHORT, Dr Abayomi Olaniyan while stressing the viability of plantain and banana urged the participants to take the training seriously for self empowerment.


Dr Olaniyan who disclosed that start up capital would be made available to the participants cautioned them to use the funds judiciously as the institute would do a follow up on their progress.


The participants who were drawn from most parts of the country expressed joy on being part of the training.


They urged the institute to make the training as frequent as possible for more youths to benefit from it.

Jeffrey Ahonmisi

Agriculture

NIHORT Sensitises Ona-Ara Farmers on Use of Agrochemicals

By Web News 880

As part of efforts towards boosting crop production in Nigeria, about thirty-five farmers in Badeku Community in Ona-Ara local government have been sensitized on the safe use of agrochemicals.

The programme was organized by the National Horticultural Research Institute, NIHORT, Ibadan.

Dr. Eniola Oyedeji during the training

In a welcome address, the head of the team, Dr. Taiwo Olajide said sensitisation was organized due to low knowledge of vegetable farmers on dangers associated with body exposure to agrochemicals.

In an interview, the guest lecturer, who is also a NIHORT research scientist in agrochemical, Dr. Eniola Oyedeji said it became imperative for farmers to protect themselves during the application of pesticides in the vegetable farms because of the long term effects on the body system.

  • A cross-section of attendees at the training
  • A cross-section of attendees at the training

Some of the farmers appreciated the training describing it as an eye-opener.

Rotimi Famakin

Agriculture

FAO, NIHORT Collaborate to Combat “Tuta Absoluta”

By Web News 1096

Two agricultural projects have been inaugurated to address the problem of Tomato pests in Nigeria.

The projects sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO of the United Nations was executed by the National Horticultural Research Institute, NIHORT.

Radio Nigeria correspondent, Rotimi Famakin who was at NIHORT, Idi Ishin, Ibadan reports that the projects are aimed at providing organic and local methods of controlling tomato pest known as “Tuta Absoluta”.

His report.

Rotimi Famakin