The National Agriculture Land Development Authority (NALDA) has entered into a partnership with Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho Oyo State, to increase sustainable food production in accordance with the President’s declaration of a state of emergency on agriculture.
The dean of the university’s faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Professor Samuel Babarinde, appreciated NALDA for the opportunity it gave the university through the partnership. The institution is looking forward to the possible enlargement of this fruitful and promising partnership in the future.
Babarinde noted that the result from a 60-acre maize farm under the partnership, which has not yet been harvested, is motivating the university to request more and diversification into the livestock production industry, especially to revamp its 3000 broiler production crumbling facilities on campus.
NALDA Partners Firm to Establish Modern Cattle Ranch and Feed Mill
He explained that in the partnership deal, NALDA supplied all the necessary inputs and equipment, including fertilizer, seeds, agrochemicals, tractors, harrows, boom sprayers, planters, harvesters, and maize shellers, while the university released 60 acres of land for farming and the labor force, using its 400-level internship students.
Also speaking was Professor Tonyi Abegunrin, who introduced a PhD student to conduct research on the project, stating that the farm is large enough to carry out some useful research and adding that if NALDA had not come, they might not have a farm of such size to conduct that kind of research at the university.
ARI Laments Resistance of Farmers to Adoption of Improved Varieties
“Now, we don’t need to take our students out of the university before they can see the practical views of what we teach in the class, and mechanization encourages specialization,” he said.
Professor Abegunrin went further in appealing with NALDA to assist the university with irrigation facilities, including water collection technology, noting that two industrial boreholes could provide enough water to irrigate the field. This will increase crop and vegetable production in the off-season.
