Professor Michael Faborode, the Immediate Past Secretary of Committee of Vice Chancellors (CVC) and a former Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, on Thursday 11th July 2019 opined that the youths hold the key towards attaining the desired transformation in the nation’s agriculture sector.
The professor of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering made the assertion while delivering the 6th Convocation Lecture of Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara. He spoke on the subject: “Sustainable Agricultural Mechanisation, Livestock Transformation and Post-Harvest Revolution – The Landmark Frontiers”.
Professor Faborode stated that the much desired transformation in agriculture sector must be technologically driven in order to achieve the desired high production, curb wastages, thereby improving yield and attaining high income. He described the present Nigeria youths as technologically savvy, saying such is an essential criterion to transform the future of agriculture positively.
According to him, the time is right for Africa and particularly Nigeria to fully leverage the mobile platform to harness its digital innovations to achieve its agriculture potentials through efficient use of resources.
“In doing this, our youths are critical components in bringing their technical expertise to bare in achieving the desired results,” he said.
Professor Faborode praised the management of the Institution for leading the way toward making agriculture a very attractive venture for the youths as a career, business and vocation.
“Satellite provides accurate climate data, devices like smart phones, or cutting-edge innovations like block chain. Digital technology would be the game-changer in boosting agricultural productivity and building resilience in a sustainable way.
“In x-raying the key challenges of African agriculture, much still need to be done in bringing back our youths to the farm, not the old farms, but dynamic youth-friendly value chain.
“It is then clear that, in Landmark University, we have found a model of system of training that works for the army of knowledge workers that will drive and deliver the vision,” he said.
Professor Faborode affirmed that the controversies surrounding the Federal Government’s Rural Grazing Area (RUGA) initiative would not have occurred if the project was genuinely made to cover all aspects of livestock farming and not to resolve crisis over a particular segment.
The Chancellor, Landmark University, Dr David Oyedepo in his remarks, while going through the various mechanically automated technologies exhibited by the University Community, expressed optimism that the Institution’s recent research breakthroughs would assist peasant farmers in restoring their dignities.
“The one reason for setting up this is to ensure effective agricultural practice at grassroots and the ultimate is to provide the needed support to farmers to go from peasant farming to commercial farming as a way of increasing production, harvest and farmers’ income.
“Every aspect of agriculture is profitable to human existence and the students we have raised are to practice agriculture. Our custom-built programme, diploma in agripreneuship, puts agriculture in every graduate of Landmark,” he said.
Professor Adeniyi Olayanju, the Institution’s Vice-Chancellor, on his part, urged the graduating students to be good ambassadors of the Institution, both in their future academic pursuit and social endeavours.
In his goodwill message, Professor Segun Awonusi, who led a team of the Nigeria University Commission (NUC) on universities’ administration verification to the Institution, praised the University for being at the vanguard of promoting agriculture as a vital tool to curb poverty, hunger and unemployment.