OSAEC to Launch Climate-Smart Farming Scheme in Ondo to Boost Wealth Creation, Jobs
The Ondo State Agricultural Empowerment Centre (OSAEC) has unveiled plans to introduce a Climate-Smart Agribusiness Empowerment Scheme in the state as part of efforts to promote wealth creation, generate employment, and improve food security through modern farming technologies.
The leadership of the Ondo State Agricultural Empowerment Centre (OSAEC), under Rotimi Wemimo Akinsola, said the Climate-Smart Agribusiness Empowerment Scheme will soon be launched by the Ondo State Government.
Several states of the federation have rolled out smart and climate-smart farming initiatives, programmes that focus on food security, modern agricultural techniques, and youth empowerment.
The Agency’s Chairman said the smart farming initiative is an unprecedented agricultural innovation project designed to raise smart youth farmers across the local government areas of the state, with the aim of generating sustainable wealth and employment.
He said the scheme will promote inclusive agricultural development and move farmers, especially the youth, from subsistence to commercial production.
“The initiative is expected to provide farmers with access to improved seeds, modern farming tools, technical knowledge, and market linkages, directly enhancing food security and boosting incomes at the grassroots level.”
Wemimo noted that adopting precision technologies and climate-smart practices is essential for overcoming low yields and unpredictable rainfall affecting agricultural production by smallholder farmers in Nigeria.
He added that climate-smart farming practices include waste-to-value systems where substrates are produced from farm waste such as wood shavings, coconut husk powder (cocopeat), sawdust, among others. He said the production of Black Soldier Fly larvae for sustainable animal feed is also part of smart agribusiness.
“OSAEC currently houses a smart farming facility that remotely controls the supply of water to different farm sections, including the greenhouse housing the hydroponics section, the organoponics section with Napal troughs, the PVC trough section, the outdoor vegetable farm with sprinkler irrigation, and the drip tape-irrigated onion farm. All of these are remotely controlled over the internet.”
“The greenhouse has different model farm sections, namely hydroponics with liquid nutrients only (soilless farming), organoponics with substrates in PVC troughs (soilless), organoponics with substrates in Napal troughs, and organoponics using soil in grow bags.”
“Similar to the greenhouse are two other rain-fed outdoor farm sections, which are also connected to the remote auto-control smart farming system. These are the sprinkler-irrigated farm and the drip tape-irrigated farm sections.”
“In the last decade, the abbreviation came into the limelight in Nigeria as IoT (Internet of Things), which simply refers to a network of internet-connected sensors, devices, and automated machinery that collect, transmit, and act on farm data.”
He explained that an IoT system enables farmers to control and monitor water and moisture levels on their farms and automatically supply the required water or nutrients in real time.
“It allows farmers to monitor crops, livestock, and equipment in real time, automating decisions to boost productivity and reduce waste.”
He further said livestock fodder such as Napier grass, Bavaria, alfalfa, corn, and wheat, among others, are microgreens grown in greenhouses.
“These fodders have high returns on investment for farmers. This is the best way of feeding ranched cattle and goats in developed countries, and now in Ondo State we are set to grow them on a commercial scale. They can be sold fresh within weeks or dehydrated and preserved.”
According to the Chairman, the Ondo State Government, through its Agribusiness and Empowerment Agency (OSAEC), is planning the second phase of its agenda to domesticate soilless hydroponic systems and smart farming practices among youths by establishing greenhouses that will house hydroponic and vertical farms.
“This is aimed at making crop production more attractive and lucrative for farmers through precision agribusiness investment, irrespective of the size of land available.”
“To sustain this initiative requires training and retraining farmers using the Training of Trainers (ToT) model, including school teenagers, while the market linkage and supply chain needed to off-take their produce already have an insatiable demand for quality fresh vegetables.”
These include leafy, fruity, and root vegetables that mature within a few weeks after planting. They include habanero pepper, tomatoes, bell pepper, onions, cucumber, radish, and pumpkin. Others include food spices such as cilantro, cumin, fennel, garden egg, lettuce, cabbage, celery, and berries.
“Smart farming utilizes IoT sensors, drones, and AI data analytics to optimize crop and livestock yields. By minimizing water, fertilizer, and pesticide usage, this approach builds resilient agribusinesses suited to Nigeria’s evolving climate.”
“Greenhouses are built with galvanized steel, aluminium, or treated wooden frames, with covers that allow light and air to reach crops while protecting them from rain.
