The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has urged farmers and agricultural stakeholders to adopt technological innovations in farming practices as a means to combat food scarcity across Nigeria.
Senator Kyari made the call on Wednesday during the opening ceremony of the 9th Annual Conference and 68th Annual General Meeting of the Association of Deans of Agriculture in Nigerian Universities (ADAN) held at the Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State.
Speaking on behalf of the minister, Ayodele Olawumi, Director of the Federal Department of Agriculture Extension, assured Nigerians of the Federal Government’s commitment to resolving food scarcity challenges.
He stated that through the Renewed Hope Agenda, the Federal Government had introduced new agricultural innovations aimed at increasing productivity, particularly among farmers in rural areas.
“Under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, we will continue to work towards ensuring that Nigerians have enough food, through digital agriculture and the various technological innovations,” Kyari stated.
The minister also urged the deans of agriculture in Nigerian universities to harmonise their curriculum in alignment with national policies to train the next generation of agro professionals and innovators that will drive sustainable food production.
“Developing strategies to ensure food security through the promotion of training, research and innovative agricultural techniques, and enhancing agricultural entrepreneurship and job creation are some of the ways to modernise the agricultural sector of the country,” he added.
Keynote speaker Professor Abu Godwin, speaking on the theme “Capacity Building and Entrepreneurship Development for Agricultural Transformation”, said that the under-funding of agricultural institutions had hindered the growth of research and training needed to support Nigeria’s food needs.
He expressed concern over the condition of many agricultural faculties, pointing out that they operate with outdated tools, neglected laboratories, and inadequate demonstration farms, resulting in a disconnect between theory and modern agricultural practice.
President of ADAN, Professor James Joyeoba, also raised concerns over the state of agricultural education in the country.
He emphasised the need for urgent reforms to equip young people and women with practical knowledge in crop and livestock production.
In his welcome address, Professor Shehu Abdul Rahman, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Lafia, encouraged participants to engage in meaningful dialogue and share ideas that would lead to improvements in agricultural production and contribute to national economic growth.
