Okpbeholo’s Agro Life-nd Projects Target Young Farmers To Boost Food Security In Edo
The Edo State coordinator of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise, Mr. John Omoruyi, has announced an innovative initiative aimed at improving food security and fostering agricultural growth in the state. On Wednesday, he revealed that the program has expanded its reach to secondary and primary schools in Edo, encouraging students and pupils to embrace agriculture as a career path.
Aligned with the policy of Governor Monday Okpbeholo, the initiative also targets youth at the grassroots level to ensure that the future farming population is sustained. Omoruyi emphasized the importance of starting the campaign in schools, adding that agricultural clubs would be established, and economic trees would be planted in collaboration with secondary schools across the state. The goal is to plant 20,000 trees as part of the broader focus on promoting horticulture and climate-smart agricultural practices.
He explained, “In conjunction with the ideology and objective of Governor Monday Okpbeholo to ensure food security, we need to start from the grassroots because it is a community-based project. We aim to further ensure the sustainability of the farming population by engaging the youth.”
The Life-nd project will focus on supporting the state’s forestry and environmental management efforts, working with secondary schools to achieve the planting target of 20,000 trees—2,000 trees in each school. This initiative is seen as a vital step in promoting agricultural practices among young people while contributing to the state’s efforts toward environmental conservation and food security.
Echoing these sentiments, Edo State Life-nd Nutrition Mainstreaming Specialist, Mr. Romanius Alike, noted that young people’s interest in agriculture was waning, and this project seeks to reverse that trend. By targeting public school students, the program aims to reignite passion for agriculture and equip the next generation with the knowledge to sustain food security in the state.
The initiative has already begun in various schools, including Uzebba Grammar School, Arazuwa Primary School, Oghomeri Primary School, Comprehensive High School, and Igbanke Grammar School. Each school will feature a garden that serves as a demonstration plot for students to learn from. With a focus on students from JS1 to SS3, the project currently involves 360 students across five schools, with local farmers contributing by providing improved seedlings.
Through this effort, Omoruyi and the Edo State government hope to foster a new generation of young, passionate farmers, ensuring a bright and sustainable future for agriculture in the region.