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Prof. Nda Mundi, Dean, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria(NOUN) has said farmers need affordable credit facilities in order to enhance their productivity. Mundi, who made this call while delivering the 11th Inaugural Lecture of NOUN in Abuja, said such facilities would address the problem of poverty especially in rural area. The theme of lecture is “Agricultural Innovations and Rural Poverty Alleviation in Nigeria.” The professor of Agriculture Extension said such facilities should comprise farming innovations, provision of and improved extension services. “Specific recommendations of package of innovation practices for the cultivation of high yielding varieties for farmers of all categories should be made separately instead of only one set of practice. “There is need to increase the level of awareness of rural populace to the importance of education as majority of rural women are not educated. This will make the rural women to...

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has approved the appointment of Alhaji Sarafa Adewunmi as the new bursar of Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology (OYSCATECH). According to a statement signed by Mr. Niyi Fehintola, OYSCATECH Registrar in Igboora on Monday, “Adewunmi, until his appointment was the Deputy Director at the Internal Audit Department, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomosho. “He doubles as fellow Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (FCTI) and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA). “He is a native of Lanlate in Ibarapa East Local Government Council area of Oyo State. “He holds a Master degree in Business Administration (MBA) and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Accounting.”

The Internet of Things (IoT) is perhaps the most obvious impact of Industry 4.0 on agriculture. Cau Dat Farm Da Lat, famed in the central highlands town of Da Lat since 1927, has applied IoT to its crops since mid-2016. Though occupying a large land area, productivity at the farm has been quite low under traditional farming methods and an unpredictable climate. It is, however, one of the first farms in Vietnam to apply IoT in its farming.   Source: TRUSTe Mr. Pham Ngoc Anh Tung, former Director of Cau Dat Farm and founder of the startup Demeter, which introduced an IoT system at Cau Dat Farm, said the reason why he decided to apply IoT at the farm is because it’s become common internationally. It also provides various benefits to farmers, in management, productivity and product quality. Nine months after introducing IoT, the farm began to see positive signs, with flowers, green tea, and fruit and vegetables reaching productivity targets and being of high quality....

Prof. Sani Abubakar Mashi, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has said Nigeria can rebuild and sustain the agriculture sector through better use of climate information.   Prof. Sani Abubakar Mashi DG/CEO, Nigerian Meteorological Agency In a paper presented at the Senior Executive Course Programme, held at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Plateau State, Mashi said "Effective climate information and services will not only transform agricultural production from labour-intensive high risk endeavor to knowledge based strategic enterprise, but will also enable sustainable utilisation of resources to achieve food security in the country." The paper entitled: "Agrometeorological Service Delivery for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Nigeria" argued that climate and weather variability play an overriding role in determining the amount of physical productivity of agricultu...

As part of efforts to make farming attractive to young Nigerians, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State and Corporate Farmers International Limited (CFIL) have concluded plans to produce an agric-based reality show known as Corporate Farmers TV reality show. Kunle Agboola, Producer of the show representing CFIL, said the idea was jointly developed by CFIL and IITA and will be shot within the IITA facility in Ibadan. He explained that the 45 minutes, 62-day pre-recorded show will celebrate all contestants and also give awards to the youth, non-governmental organisations and industries practicing and promoting agriculture in the country. "The show will be in the mode of Idol Africa, Fame Project, Gulder Search and others. Its pilot airing platforms would be Channels TV, STV, AIT, NTA and AfricaMagic. We have also signed an agreement with Blue Pie and NETFLIX, which have the largest paid subscription, streaming site for film and TV worl...

The 84th International Agricultural Fair opened Saturday in Serbian city of Novi Sad, with latest machines on display from around 60 countries. Ivica Dacic, Serbian Foreign Minister, who declared the fair opened, said international cooperation in agriculture is of extreme significance to Serbia at a regional level such as that with Bosnia and Herzegovina due to the potential of the sector for development. "Serbia as the host of this prestigious manifestation wishes to present itself as a country that implements successfully its interior reforms, that created favorable foreign investment climate and has economic potentials that make it a strong, stable and reliable partner on a regional and international level," he said. The week-long fair will offer visitors the latest machines for agriculture and food processing as well as various breeds of cattle at an exhibition surfacing of 60,000 square meters. Companies from 25 countries including China, Austria, Fra...

Kabiru Mohammed, Managing Director of Bank of Agriculture, has appealed to governors in the Southeast to bring moribund oil palm plantations in the region back to life. He urged the governors to also resuscitate processing plants in the region in order to refresh the economy of states in the region. Mohammed who said this in Enugu recently added that plantations such as Ada Palm in Imo State, Okomu Oil as well as the Imo Rubber and National Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR) already had a relationship with the bank. Highlighting the bank’s mandate of providing agricultural credit and non-agricultural micro-credit with a view to curbing poverty, he said “As the leading Agricultural Development Finance Institution in Nigeria, the bank is ready to offer its expertise, experience, and technical capabilities to support the region in its quest for diversification. “Our bank and its stakeholders are making concerted efforts to curb all known challenges to agro-entrepreneur...