AN agricultural tech specialist, Femi Adekoya, has called on the government and other stakeholders to embrace the use of technology in the advancement of the agriculture sector and enhance food security and productivity in the country.
Adekoya who spoke while delivering a lecture entitled: ‘Drones Technology in Agricultural Development’ during a special workshop at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti(FUOYE) noted the place of drones and other technologies in the agric sector including gathering of relevant data.
The professional drone specialist explained that agriculture contributed 23 percent to the GDP of the country in the third quarter of 2023, saying that when adequately harnessed with the right technology, agriculture could become the backbone of the economy.
While explaining that it is dangerous and ineffective to use crude methods in the farm, Adekoya added that the digitization of the sector would guarantee food sufficiency and make it more attractive to people, especially youths.
“Drone has become a technology that is transforming the agriculture sector and that is because of the great benefits it brings. Don’t forget we already have low productivity, we have food insecurity.
“We use drones to help farmers spray their farms in terms of crop protection and nutrients and also provide them with non-labour intensive needs. These are some of the ways drones are changing the sector.
“Also in animal husbandry, we can use drones to broadcast grass seeds and fertilisers instead of exposing our farmers to danger.”
On his recommendations to the government and stakeholders, especially institutions of higher learning in order to make agriculture more attractive to the youths, Adekoya said, “Drone technology can be introduced into the curriculum because this thing has moved beyond just basic agronomys, it has now become a technologically enabled sector.”
Speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of FUOYE, Professor Abayomi Fasina said the lecture was well delivered and relevant to the advancement of agriculture in the country, noting that the institution is ready to play its part towards achieving it.
He explained that attaining food security should be the responsibility of all stakeholders with the use of more technology, saying the university has placed more priority on the practical aspect of teaching rather than theory in a bid to produce graduates that would be globally competitive.
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