From Abdulwarith Umar Sani
The Lagos State Government on Friday presented three smart farms to the principals of three senior secondary schools in the State.
These farms include smart aquaponics, aquaculture, and poultry system units equipped with hardware components, all under the Lagos Agric Scholar Programme.
PRIME TIME NEWS gathered that, the three schools that received the farms are Lagos City Senior College, Sabo, Yaba; Igbobi College, Yaba, and Omole Senior Grammar School, Ikeja.
During the handover ceremony, the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, advised secondary students in the state to view agriculture not only as an archaic profession but also as a means of livelihood and revenue generation.
Ms Olusanya stressed that regardless of their future career choices, the students must eat to achieve their goals, making agriculture vital to their lives.
“The project was initiated to encourage students to take an interest in agriculture as a viable business and not just a subject. It was a collaboration between the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Agrisiti, and Corporate Farms from the private sector” She said
Ms Olusanya stated that the project would be extended to over 300 secondary and primary schools in the state, with extension officers and their partners visiting the farms every month to demonstrate new technology to the students.
Mr Oyewole Akintohude, a representative of Agrisiti, said that the aquaculture section of the farm consists of two fish ponds stocked with 400 fingerlings, while the poultry section has 60 birds and hydroponics.
Mr Akin Alabi, the founder of Corporate Farmer, disclosed that a comic book was created for students in 2020 to educate them on the government’s projects and agriculture in general.
The Principal of Igbobi College, Yaba, Mr Adedotun, appreciated the state government for selecting his school as one of the beneficiaries of the project.
He stated that the project came at a better time and would provide practical agricultural training to the students.
