By Polycarp Ifeanyi
The Farmtech Business Forum (FBF) has held its maiden edition seminar in Onitsha, Anambra State, with agricultural experts and stakeholders advocating estate farming technology and greater youth participation.
They said this will serve as strategies to tackle food insecurity in Nigeria.
The seminar, themed “Strengthening Strategies for Food Security Through Estate Farming Technology and Industrialisation,” was held at the Presidential Hall, Patterson Auditorium, All Saints Cathedral, Onitsha.
The Farmtech Business Forum was conceived in 2010 by its founder, Nelson Nwaenyi, popularly known as “Nelson Whyte,” while he was based in Lagos State. The initiative was inspired by his desire to promote agricultural advocacy and contribute to an agricultural revolution across Africa and beyond.
Estate Farming Can Help End Food Scarcity — Ugwu
One of the participants, Hon. Chioma Ugwu, described the seminar as impactful, saying it provided investors with an opportunity to acquire knowledge about the application of technology to estate farming.
Ugwu said estate farming could serve as a strategic solution to food scarcity and provide a pathway towards achieving sustainable food security in Nigeria.
She urged estate developers and investors to consider channeling part of their resources into agricultural estates to increase food production and help tackle hunger.
“98% of housing estate problems are being solved in Anambra State, but nobody is talking about farming estates. Farming is very essential because we cannot just live in a house where we don’t have food to eat,” she said.
She explained that food insecurity remained a major national challenge and said the seminar was designed to explore practical ways of addressing the problem through technology-driven agriculture.
Traditional Farming, Climate Change Threaten Food Security — Nwankwo
Speaking at the event, Hon. Jude Nwankwo attributed some of the challenges confronting food security to reliance on traditional farming methods.
Nwankwo, who is the Special Assistant to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Agriculture and represented the Anambra State Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon. Ben Chuks Odoemena, said traditional agricultural practices could no longer adequately meet the demands of a growing population.
He identified climate change as another major factor affecting food production, noting that changing weather patterns had disrupted normal planting seasons.
Nwankwo also lamented the low participation of youths in agriculture, saying their absence had deprived the sector of the innovation and technological advancement required to improve productivity and create greater value.
‘Money Is Available, But Food Is Not’ — Sogbesan
The keynote speaker, Professor Olusegun Sogbesan, expressed concern that despite the availability of money in the economy, Nigerians were increasingly confronted with a shortage of affordable food.
According to him, the problem cannot be blamed entirely on government, as negligence towards agriculture among citizens has contributed significantly to the crisis.
Sogbesan identified access to arable land as one of the major challenges facing agriculture, noting that much of the available land had been converted to estates while other portions had lost their fertility.
He argued that the solution to food insecurity was already known, urging estate developers, investors and traders to redirect part of their resources towards farming estates to prevent further food crises.
‘Everyone Has a Role to Play’ — Panelists
Panelists at the seminar, including Engr. Chita Onuzuluike, Dr. Kevin Simeon Chukwu and Nnoli Izuchukwu Isaac, separately emphasised that the responsibility for tackling hunger should not be left to government alone.
They, however, explained the need for government to create an enabling environment, encourage citizens to return to agriculture and provide the necessary support to make farming more productive and profitable.
From Agro-tainment to Farmtech
The convener and founder of FBF, Nelson Nwaenyi, expressed appreciation to the participants and resource persons for their contributions, particularly the panelists who addressed questions from the audience.
Nwaenyi described the seminar as part of an organised and long-term project aimed at transforming the food sector in Anambra State, Nigeria and Africa.
He urged participants to put the knowledge acquired at the seminar into practice and become actively involved in estate farming.
Recounting the history of the initiative, Nwaenyi said he received what he described as a divine mandate in 2010, while in Lagos, to champion agricultural advocacy capable of driving an agricultural revolution across Africa.
“We started as AGROTAINMENT because we saw that the youths were more attracted to entertainment, so we created a platform,” he said.
According to him, the initiative began with sensitisation programmes in about 32 schools in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State before expanding to radio broadcasting.
He said the radio programme, AGROTAINMENT, was sponsored by Iki Leads Ltd, producers of Pasa Bitters and Meridian Drinks, and aired on Brila FM.
Nwaenyi added that the programme later featured on Onitsha ABS and Awka Radio before the Anambra State Ministry of Agriculture, under the then Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon.
Afam Mbanefo, extended sponsorship for another six months.
‘Farmtech Is the Next Level’
Reflecting on the journey, Nwaenyi said the initiative had evolved significantly over the past 15 years into what is now known as Farmtech Business Forum.
“15 years after, we have evolved into a higher version of our dream and that is FARMTECH BUSINESS FORUM — an ecosystem to see farming as a more serious business driven by technology and the principles of global best practice,” he said.
He called on stakeholders, investors and youths to join the initiative, which he said promotes a community-integrated farming system powered by technology.
According to him, the ultimate goal is to create jobs for youths, promote sustainable wealth creation and build a stronger agricultural sector capable of addressing food insecurity.
Tags
Farmtech Business Forum, Food Security, Estate Farming, Agriculture, Anambra State
