Ogun, Soilless Lab partner on youth agric

Ogun State is joining forces with Soilless Farm Lab to spearhead a major transformation in agriculture, focusing on training youth to create agribusiness jobs, develop modern, resilient, and technology-driven farming practices, and ultimately ensure food security across the country.

The partnership was highlighted during the graduation of the 12th cohort of the Enterprise for Youth in Agriculture (EYIA) program, a joint initiative between the Mastercard Foundation and Soilless Farm Lab aimed at training young people in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and nutrition to enhance the vegetable value chain in Nigeria.

Speaking at the ceremony, Senior Special Assistant on Agriculture to the Governor of Ogun State, Dr. Angel Adelaja, lauded the program’s alignment with the state’s vision. She said:”Our vision is clear, to build a modern technology-driven agricultural economy that empowers young people, enhances food security, and attracts investment. The work of Soilless Farm Lab aligns perfectly with this vision, and we’re proud to be partners on this journey.”

Dr. Adelaja, who represented the Commissioner, emphasised the state government’s commitment, citing support provided to previous participants, which included five million Naira in grants and access to land to establish and scale their agri-ventures.

She noted that many of these graduates are now building “thriving ventures and contributing meaningfully to food security.” She also confirmed the government’s broader initiatives to help farmers, including youth, use technology to adapt to climate change.

In a keynote address Project Manager for Soilless Farm Lab, Ms. Peace Bassey, detailed the project’s profound success over its three-year pilot phase. According to her, the  EYIA project has directly trained 12,000 participants and its impact has extended to over 18,000 secondary beneficiaries trained by the graduates themselves.

She added that the  initiative’s infrastructural achievements include the construction of 960 greenhouses and the establishment of 240 new companies. Ms. Bassey revealed the massive entrepreneurial success: “From 240 companies established, monthly revenue exceeds 40 million not including income from contract jobs. Furthermore, our graduates have secured over N50 million in grants. We have success stories of transformed entrepreneurs such as  Hannah-Rotimi-William of AgriWellness and Israel of Calvary Farms among many. They are   others who leveraged their business acumen to diversify into fields like fashion and catering.”

Ms. Bassey highlighted the project’s significant community impact in the Awowo area, which included strengthening the local economy, electrifying the villages of Agbopa, Egan, and Olowopapa, and the creation of a 5 km road. “Through the vision of an EYIA graduate, free basic education is now provided for over 100 children in the surrounding village. The project’s model has also achieved institutional buy-in, securing government partnerships in states like Ekiti, Niger, and Jigawa for replication.

She noted : “The EYIA project has laid a strong foundation for continued growth and impact. Let us build on this momentum to reach even more young people, create even more opportunities, and transform even more communities.”

The Monitoring and Evaluation Officer  Soilless Farm Lab, Paul Idoko, reiterated the organisation’s  commitment to combating hunger. He noted the organisation’s motto: “Farming should not be seasonal because hunger is not seasonal,” explaining their revolutionary approach of operating over 1,050 greenhouses on-site for 24/7 production all year round.

Idoko indicated  the goal had been achieved. “Today we are at the twelfth cohort, the cohort of the pilot phase of the first three years and I am happy to tell you today that we have trained 12,000 young people who have come from all the diverse parts of Nigeria, the 36 states including the FCT and from other several African countries. “The people that learned from us and translated the knowledge to other people that are around them, they have recorded a number of 19,000 plus. That is our secondary impact,” he explained.

In addition to empowering youth, he said Soilless Farm Lab has focused on strengthening the local farming community, having trained over 3,200 adult farmers in collaboration with various partners, including support from the British American Tobacco Foundation.

He  was optimistic  with the future  “We believe that in time to come, Soilless Farm Lab, with the collaboration of the stakeholders that we have today, the support of the young and the youthful farmers that we have trained, we believe that hunger will be tackled. We believe that we’re going to contribute to that sustainable development goal. And we believe that the voice of the farmers is going to be heard and be on top of the game.”

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