Farmers in the country under the auspices of Youth Farmers Development Initiative (YFDI) have implored the Federal and State governments to reintroduce the policy of enforcing agriculture practical science as a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools across the country, Njenje Media News reports.
The call was made at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja in commemoration of the fourth coming 2021, World Food Day.
The YFDI stressed the need to prioritize a farming system in primary and secondary school in Nigeria, saying it is necessary in ensuring agriculture practical science is taught in every primary and secondary schools across the country to create awareness and understanding in the process of investing in Agro business.
National president of the group, Comrade Chilota Onyema, recalled that YFDI was established in 2007-2008 during the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua administration to encourage, educate and mobilize Nigerian youths to undertake a systematic and modern approach of massive agricultural production.
Onyema stated: “We have realized that Agriculture is the most reasonable and reliable way. The best time is now to teach our youths the importance of agriculture in schools because Agriculture is practical.
“YFDI has the structure to promote agriculture as a veritable vocation capable of directing the agility of youths away from crimes and other dangerous trends among youths.
“We can take Nigeria out of the food crisis within the space of one year if the opportunity is given to us. We will make hunger a thing of the past and other nations will come and learn from us just like the way we handled ebola, COVID-19 and all other diseases”.
Similarly, the national secretary of the group, Hon James Nkereuwen Okon, said they had gotten the approval of the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Education and other ministries, departments and agencies of government to drive the reactivation of the school farming system.
He said what they are intending to do now is to launch or revamp young farmers club in each of the schools because it’s intended to be a ceremonial celebration because there is going to be cultivation of commemorative trees.
“We are calling on all stakeholders to support this initiative which is in line with Mr President’s vision of tackling food insecurity in the country.
“The committee will be embarking on what we call, bring back our school farms advocacy campaign. So we call on all the elites to make sure they support this initiative,” Okon said.
The chairperson, Central Planning Committee of YFDI, Hajia Asmau Galadanchi, said talking about stimulating the economy without engaging the youth was a waste of time.
According to her, the youth are very essential, formidable and also part of the society that cannot be denied.
She said, “Mr President has pointed out agriculture as the best sector that would grow the economy and all over the world agriculture is the number one sector for nations development.
“What we are doing is to see how we can contribute our quota into the Nigerian youths through agriculture.”
