As part of the efforts of Governor Monday Okpebholo-led administration to boost food security and develop agriculture for economic growth in Edo State, the governor is focusing on young farmers in the state through his Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise, Nigeria Delta, to achieve the goal.
The Edo State Coordinator of the project, Mr. John Omoruyi, stated this on Wednesday, said that the programme had taken its campaign to secondary and primary schools to encourage the need to embrace agriculture among students and pupils.
Omoruyi said the project which is in line with the policy drive of Governor Okpbeholo also targeted youths at the grassroots and to ensure that the farming population was sustained.
He said beyond setting up agricultural clubs in schools, the project planned to plant 20, 000 economic trees using secondary schools, adding that the idea was to promote horticulture and climate change agriculture.
“In conjunction with the ideology and objective of Governor Monday Okpebholo to ensure food security we need to start from the grassroots because it is a community-based project and to further ensure that the farming population is sustained by catching them young.
“We are still going to strengthen the schools as soon as the rain sets in. The project targets to plant 20, 000 economic trees using the secondary schools in collaboration with the management of the schools; 2, 000 per school and at the end we would get 20,000 and support the Edo state government in terms of forestry and environmental management.
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“In essence, the life-nd project is a total support to the ideology of the Edo state government to support food security and promote agriculture”, Omoruyi stated.
Speaking in the same vein, Edo State Life-nd, Nutrition mainstreaming Specialist, Mr Romanius Alike, lamented that the passion for agriculture, especially among young people, was dying, noting that the idea was to change the narrative among students and pupils in public schools.
He added the project had taken off in Uzebba Grammar School, Owan West Local Government Area, Arazuwa Primary School, Ovia North-East Local Government Area, Oghomeri Primary School, Etsako Central Local Government Area; Comprehensive High School, Ekpedo, Akoko Edo Local Government and Igbanke Grammar School, Orhionmwon Local Government Area of the state.
“So, we want to change that narrative and that is why we are catching them young to develop interest in agriculture.
“The initiative is to set up gardens in schools in five public schools across the three senatorial zones in the state. We select JSS1 to SSS3. So, in total, we have 72 students per school.
“In the five schools, we have 360 students. Some farmers in the community are also involved and we provided them with improved seedlings.
“The garden will be a demonstration plot for other students to learn from and we have also discussed with the director of school services to key into the project.” Alike said.
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