Tobi Festus AKINROPO hails from Edunabon, Osun State, Nigeria, and boasts over a decade year of experience in Ruminant Nutrition, Precision Livestock Farming, Nutritional modeling, and Enteric Greenhouse gas (GHG) quantification. He has demonstrated his expertise and vast knowledge in several innovations and roles he has held.
Tobi AKINROPO is a Research engineer through postdoctoral training at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), Clermont-Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Center, France. His responsibilities include the development of nutritional models aimed at improving feed efficiencies and productivity in ruminants as well as predicting enteric methane.
He works on efficient diet formulation for ruminants and big data in the livestock sector which aid in critical decision-making.
In livestock big data and machine learning, Tobi develops new models with low prediction errors (RMSPE) and challenges the robustness of extant models in predicting enteric methane from ruminants using recent activity data. His skills encompass using libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, and Scikit Learn in Python and several packages in R. His statistical analysis capabilities include machine learning models like supervised learning (Linear and non-linear regression, Logistic Regression), unsupervised learning (Clustering and Classification), and Deep Learning (Artificial Neural Networks). These competencies highlight Tobi’s broad and versatile technical expertise, enabling him to handle complex livestock data scenario tasks effectively.
Tobi Akinropo is making significant contributions as a Research Engineer at INRAE. His deep animal nutrition knowledge, analytical capabilities, and problem-solving skills were instrumental in navigating complex livestock data challenges and steering data-driven decision-making processes in ruminant nutrition. His technical expertise and leadership qualities were critical to the success of several research projects he is actively involved. Tobi’s commitment extends beyond professional achievements; he actively participates in community service and mentoring, dedicating his efforts to mentoring young professionals and delivering guest lectures. He served as a livestock officer during his National Youth Service Corps programme in a Rural community development centre (RCDC), Awe, Oyo state where he empowered over thirty youths in livestock enterprises. He currently advocates for youths repositioning in Animal Science through creativity, skills, and technological advancement. This involvement empowers the next generation of experts in Animal scientists, demonstrating his dedication to advancing both his field and community.
In September 2023, FAO recognizing his pivotal role in youth engagements in the livestock industry in Nigeria. Tobi Akinropo was selected to represent Nigeria at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Global Youth Dialogue on Sustainable Livestock the Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation (GC-SLT) in Rome, Italy.
This youth-led initiative brought together young professionals, students, farmers, and scientists from across the world to discuss key challenges and foster actionable solutions for sustainable livestock systems. the outcome of this youth dialogue produced a Youth Statement, participants expressed their commitment to continuing their engagement through the Global Youth Network on Sustainable Livestock Transformation, emphasizing inclusivity and equity for all.
Tobi Akinropo holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria specializing in Ruminant Nutrition and forage science, he was admitted by the University senate with a perfect 70 A for this degree. In 2018, he completed his Master of Philosophy in Animal Science with distinction from the same university. His academic journey is enriched with several significant research projects and products, resulting in publications that advocate improved utilization of byproducts and alternative feed resources in achieving sustainability in the ruminant production sector in Nigeria.
One of the products from His doctoral research is a Web-based software application tagged “Smart Nutrition System (SMANS)” that carries out three fundamental small ruminant nutritional protocols namely: (i) a database where all feed resources identified in sub-Saharan Africa for small ruminant feeding were archived with their nutritional compositions; (ii) a feed formulation calculator for Sheep and Goat fulfilling the nutritional requirement for all physiological classes. (iii) a performance prediction capacity developed with a machine learning algorithm in predicting the average daily gain (ADG) for the West African dwarf breed of Sheep and Goat. These and other research projects of Tobi AKINROPO have been published in over twelve different professional publications and conference proceedings which were specially curated to recommend best practices in ruminant nutrition and share findings from extensive research within the space of Animal Science.
Tobi holds membership in esteemed professional organizations such as the Animal Science Association of Nigeria (ASAN), Association Francaise de Zootechnie (AFZ), Nigerian Society for Animal Production (NSAP), and European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP) among others, He is a recipient of Climate, Food and Farming – Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases Development Scholarship award in the year 2023. Tobi’s technical skill set is comprehensive with a tripod, his excellent Animal science skills such as Animal management and production systems and Animal nutrition are merged with proficiency in programming languages such as Python and R in data visualization tools such as Matplotlib, Seaborn, and ggplot2 in handling big livestock data. These skills are enhanced by His personal, interpersonal, and leadership skills.
As technology evolves, Tobi Akinropo identified the pivotal role of technological advancement tools and methodologies in shaping the future of Ruminant Nutrition and Animal science, this is a testament as Tobi has been instrumental in the development of several software applications for feed formulation and performance prediction as well as a tool/platform that enables easy assessment and validation of animal research protocol by the Research Ethics office in Nigeria. As part of his contributions, Tobi has explored the use of hydroponically grown fodder as alternative feed resources for cattle, Water hyacinth (Eichorina crassipes) for small ruminants in Nigeria, this was aimed at reducing the pressure on grazing land and mitigating the clashes between the crop farmers and the herders. Furthermore, Tobi, research focused on mitigating enteric methane from ruminants through excellent diet formulation and feed processing towards achieving a low carbon footprint in the ruminant production sector.
Tobi Festus AKINROPO attests to the wealth of talent and innovation in the Nigerian agricultural space. As an Animal scientist, his achievements illuminate and proclaim the potential of Nigerians on the global stage. The intellect and vision displayed by individuals like Tobi Akinropo are indispensable assets in the emerging Livestock industry. As a global talent, Tobi’s holistic innovative approaches to Animal science stand to brighten the future for sustainable production in the livestock sector.
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