From Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
ago-owu, an outskirt of Ikoyi in Ayedaade Local Government Area, Osun State, came alive recently when farmers and others gathered to celebrate Farmers’ Open Day. It also witnessed on-the-spot training of about 35,000 farmers and youths from different parts of the state.
It was anchored by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State, with focus on training, retraining and conducting researches to increase farmers’ yields and expose them to modern agricultural practices. The Research and Training Farm Institute in Ago-Owu, was commissioned by Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Each of the 30 local government areas was represented by at least 100 farmers and about 500 youths. The event attracted village heads, traditional rulers, market women, students, pupils, artisans and government officials.
Participants were trained on how to use simple machines and other farming tools and advised not to rely on holes and cutlasses, which are not suitable for largescale farming. They were also given orientations on the use of relevant chemicals to grow their crops as well as those meant for preservation in such a way that would guide against contamination and adulteration of the produce. The training would be periodical at the institute to generate increased farm inputs. There was also the exhibition of foods from different varieties of farm produce. They included cassava bread, cassava tiblits, cassava chips, soya beans juice, fufu, eba, cassava snacks, eggrolls, orange juice and plantain chips. There were equally samples of varieties of beans, yams, okra, plantain and banana.
Samples of cassava sticks (seedlings) were distributed to farmers by coordinator, Osun Rural Enterprise and Agriculture Programme (O-Reap), Dr. Charles Akinola for the next planting season. About 205.5 hectares of land were earmarked in executing the project.
Aregbesola said government collaborated with IITA to advance research in agriculture: “We partner the international institute to deepen our commitment to massive food production in the state and ensure that the farmers’ yields are improved geometrically.
“Osun is known to be the highest producer of cassava. Yet, our production is poor, while the yield per hectare is between 15/16 metric ton per hectare. It is for this reason that we reached a compromise with the IITA to support our farmers for greater productivity to training and research.”
IITA’s Deputy Director General, Professor Michael Abberton, said the institute decided to partner Osun government having realised the state’s keen interest in revamping the agriculture sector.
He said the partnership was crucial as it reflected the role the farm would play not only in the area of research to address the needs of smallholder farmers but also in terms of training and capacity building.
He added that the IITA Youth Agripreneurs would take advantage of the farm to develop their agricultural activities: “IITA has had a long tradition of training and transferring technology to farmers in the State of Osun through various projects. This farm represents IITA’s commitment to building on this tradition and to further enhance the transfer and adoption of IITA research to the benefit of the farmers of Osun State.”
Akinola told Daily Sun: “We are doing this to have huge production yields. It is hoped that with this, Osun farmers will begin to count gains as agriculture would be commercialized, while our state would become a training centre for her peers in agriculture sector.
“Youths would also be attracted to farming since this partnership would provide the necessary seeds with early maturity. We want to make agriculture a way of life and a real business for all and sundry.”
Project Leader, Cassava Weed Management and Director, Development and Delivery Office, IITA, Dr. Alfred Dixon, said: “Our objective is to ensure additional values in all areas of agriculture. We have come with lots of seeds. We have many farm materials and we will ensure that the youths in the state are encouraged to farm.”
Adeola Adepegba, a cocoa farmer, lamented that lack of farm tools, chemicals and fertilizer remained the bane of the farming activities in the area. He, however, enthused that with the government and IITA’s interventions farmers could heave a sigh of relief for increased farm produce.
A female farmer, Mrs. Ronke Alamu, a retired civil servant, lamented lack of funds to buy relevant farm tools, especially big machines such as tractors as well as chemicals and fertilizers that would have enhanced mechanized farming.
She stated difficulties in securing soft loans from the bank to buy them, adding that even if loans could be secured the interest rates were so high that could throw farmers into bankruptcy.