A DISCUSSION ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION IN AGRICULTURE

1. A DISCUSSION ON THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION IN AGRICULTURE Presented by EDU OGBONNAYA .O. Founder, Farm Awareness for Food Preservation Initiative, Nigeria

2. Education as it relates to Agriculture development Introduction: • Education in agriculture is the training, teaching, and sharing needed knowledge and information to farmers, agripreneurs and stakeholders in the various value chain to achieve desired result. • Agricultural education is a systematic program of instruction available to farmers/agripreneurs desiring to learn about the science, business, technology of plant and animal production and/or about the environmental and natural resources systems. • Agricultural education and training covers a broad range of formal and informal activities that build capacity within the agricultural sector and for wider rural development encompassing higher education, diploma and certificate levels, vocational and in-service training and informal knowledge and skill.

3. Education as it relates to Agriculture development • There still exists the misconception that farming is a profession for the poor and the illiterate, which entails grueling toil on farmlands, with pittances as returns. • Although farmers usually have rich knowledge of local conditions and valuable practical knowledge of how best to successfully exploit their environment, they require training on innovation generated from research and development to boost their productivity • Lack of proper training for those who go into agriculture have caused people to perceive agriculture as not profitable. This leads to a declining aging farming population • Nevertheless, agriculture still remains the largest sector of the Nigerian economy. It employs two-thirds of Nigeria’s working population. Agriculture accounts for approximately 22 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP • There is a need to adopt agricultural education early in our educational system to inculcate agric-culture.

4. To make careers along agriculture value chains more attractive, the way that agriculture is presented to students/people needs to be adjusted. • Success story from practical farmers needs to be achieved and captured and models replicated to encourage farmers and investors. • Incentives need to be given to farmers/agripreneur to attract more people into agriculture • The level of illiteracy of farmers in Nigeria generally affects agricultural development in Nigeria especially in the rural areas. • Agricultural training of existing and aspiring agripreneurs should complement existing skills of the farmers. • Farmers should be equipped with skills in financial management to properly manage and account for their agribusiness.

5. Types of training needed by agripreneurs • Training in entrepreneurship • Marketing and Communication skills. • Quality management • Basic accounting and technical skills. • Advisory services • Agribusiness information

6. We need to it has to breeding local agripreneurs, who are not just farmers, but are also thinkers, risk-takers and business people. • As the environment in which agripreneurs operate is constantly changing and developing, there is need to adapt to the changes of the market, consumer habits, environmental regulations e.t.c through constant capacity development. • Lukewarm attitude towards agricultural education give rise to food insecurity, environmental degradation, societal youth unemployment.

7. Medium of educating farmers/agripreneurs: • Radio programmes • Pamphlets and journals in local languages • Internet • Organized training by extension workers. • Tertiary Institutions.

8. Education as it relates to Agriculture development Factor affecting agricultural education in Nigeria: • Illiteracy among farmer affects implementation of research results. • Inadequate structure to educate farmers and agripreneurs. • The misconception of agriculture in our society. • The inability of farmers to engage in entrepreneurial behaviors.

9. The importance of agricultural education: • To Increases interest in Agriculture among people. • To utilize the human resources among Nigerian Youths to chart a new course for agricultural development • To give knowledge on the opportunities in the different agricultural value chains. • Transition education to educate the youths for sustainable agriculture. • The Export market and its opportunity. • The right food to eat for healthy living

10. It is important to groom our students in school on importance of agriculture to our economy. • Although farmers usually have rich knowledge of local conditions and valuable practical knowledge or experience of how best to successfully exploit their environment, they require innovation information generated from research and development to boost their productivity. • To help farmers incorporate the latest scientific advances and technology tools into their daily operations. • To increase efficiency, decrease harm to the environment and reduce food contamination. • To increase profit in farming and agribusiness. • To attract Foreign exchange by creating export market consciousness among farmers and agripreneurs. • Understand the implications of public policy on their operations

11. The performance of the agricultural sector - including horticulture, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture and processing of raw materials - is dependent on the performance and knowledge of the people working in it. This is why education and training play an important and fundamental role.

12. The importance of training of agripreneurs • It is important to groom our youths on opportunities in agriculture and their participatory role to our economic development. • Put great incentive to attract people into agriculture • The export market opportunities consciousness in agriculture. • To know their role in research for agricultural development. • Agriculture extension workers needs to be trained for farmers benefit. • Training of farmers alone is never enough. You need to have practical follow-up farmers as well to ensure they implement what is taught. • For Agripreneur’s cross-generational knowledge exchange with farmers traditional knowledge for sustainable agriculture development.

13. Solutions for revitalizing Agricultural research facilities • Agricultural research has an important role to play in meeting targets, since many of the new technologies, inputs, and techniques of production that increase agricultural productivity are developed through agricultural research • Research is the method of creating knowledge and development, meaning the act of translating new knowledge into business ideas and products • It is important to groom our youths on opportunities in agriculture and their participatory role to our economic development. • Sensitization of agripreneurs about the importance and benefit of research and development in agriculture. • Agricultural research provides information for policy makers and funding agencies. • Agricultural research results can be viable technology to enhance productivity.

14. Nigeria has the largest and most elaborate National Agricultural research systems in Sub- Saharan Africa. • In 2006, the government set up an umbrella body known as the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) which was established to address the challenges faced by the agricultural research system. • ARCN’s mission is to achieve significant improvements in agricultural productivity, marketing and competitiveness through generation of appropriate technologies, policy options and knowledge management of the agriculture research system. • ARCN is able to achieve their mission through the adopted village studies and the National Agricultural Research Institutes.

15. List of the National Agricultural Research Institutes: • National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike • National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT) Ibadan • Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN) Ibadan • Nigerian Institute for Oil-Palm Research (NIFOR) Benin City • Rubber Research Institute of Nigeria (RRIN) Iyanomo, Benin City • Nigerian Institute for Oceanography & Marine Research (NIOMR) Lagos • Lake Chad Research Institute (LCRI) Maiduguri • National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) Vom • National Institute for Fresh-Water Fisheries Research (NIFFR) New Bussa • Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) Ilorin • National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI) Badegi • Institute for Agricultural Research & Training (IAR&T) Ibadan • National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) Shika Zaria • National Agricultural Extension & Research Liaison Services (NAERLS) Zaria • Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) Samaru, Zaria

16. Challenges of Research in agriculture development. • Inadequate payment of researchers for research activities. • Lack of proper research ethics to ensure credibility. • Low accessibility of data. • Unverifiable data from farmers. • Poor Technological advancement. • Low budget and funding for research by government. • Political uncertainty to ensure continuity.

17. Research facilities should research on storage, preservation, processing and marketing to enhance rural value added, reduce post-harvest losses and translate farm production increases into higher producer income gains for Nigeria’s farming majority.

18. Solutions for revitalizing Research Facilities : • Proper training of researchers. • Commercialization of research results. • There should be relationship between agricultural research facilities, the extension service agents, farmers and the private sector. • Adequate funding for research and Development in agriculture. • Research institutions must consider new ways of funding research as reliance on government sources leads to failure.

19. THANK YOU