A week ago, our Vice President for the Marketing Team, Babajide Aroyewun had a sensational live chat with Olumide Campbell, the Strategy Director of Etu Odi on Instagram. With Olumide serving as an anchor, Jide discussed the topic, “Innovating For Food Security: Nigerian Game Changers”.
It was a very enlightening session, full of new insights on agricultural solutions to food security. During the session, Jide explained that innovation doesn’t have to be an elaborate technological idea. Rather, innovation involves means to bring about higher returns in the agric sector. It means a change in traditional techniques. Citing irrigation technology as an example, Jide described that where water can be deployed without manual control can be acknowledged as innovation as it cuts down the cost of labour, production and overall investment.
Jide also pointed out that youths need to understand that contrary to popular misconception, Agriculture is a lucrative field that involves clean and prestigious individuals.
“People have this mindset that farming is for the old and haggard. Agriculture is not limited to those who look rusty, for the fact that agriculture can also accommodate people who are nicely dressed. Over the course of my working at farmcrowdy, I have come across various farmers – people who you wouldn’t believe that in a lifetime, they are actually farmers. I have met with people who are even outside of Nigeria, who have spent their entire lives on the farm. But when you see them, you can’t recognise them as farmers.
I think it is just the perception that people need to change. It all boils down to the level of exposure. The thing is that we have a large population and a lot of opportunities in the agric sector. I have quite a lot of friends that are involved in several aspects of farming”, Jide said.
“The question still remains: How do we get more people involved? I know we have a lot of youths involved these days but if I hazard a guess there will be less than 10 per cent of the population of youths so they are like sitting there waiting to be taken. It is all based on how much exposure this particular sector gets to get. For example, skit making five, ten years ago wasn’t a term, right? Then, it was probably just occupied by maybe just three people but right now, virtually everyone right from their university days are now influencers and skit makers. The point here is that they have been able to get exposure to understand that this is the kind of value to get if you are part of it”.
In response to the issue of insecurity, Jide said “people interested in agriculture do not need to be afraid of the threats around, we can use the innovation of greenhouse farming to farming or agriculture closer to home. One of the big advantages of greenhouse farming is that you don’t have a really large expanse of land, you may need hi-technology and AI to help monitor growth. Techniques such as hydroponics, aeroponics and aquaponics. They can be ways wealth can be converted through this”.
Jide advised interested youths to see agriculture as a long-term investment and not an enterprise for quick money. He further explained that the agric sector has a large spectrum involving many areas of concentration. According to Jide, youths can try their hands in offtaking, aggregating, delivering, transporting, reselling, repackaging and financing services; wherever they find their core strength.
“Agriculture is not something you pick up a book or you watch on a YouTube video and you go for it. You will have to prepare yourself to learn, you will have to prepare yourself to be patient. It is not a quick money investment but overtime profit is very rewarding”.
To gain further insights into innovation in agriculture tune to Agric Radio or log in to Agricsquare. You get to listen, meet and interact with people who are willing to share tips and advice from their own experience in the agric space.
