By Omotunde Ojugbele
An aide to the Minister of Agriculture & Food Security, Engr. Maruf Olalekan Ajenifuja has reiterated the importance of technology to food security in Nigeria.
Engr. Ajenifuja, who is Technical Assistant (Partnership & Collaboration) to the Agric Minister, was the guest speaker at the 6th webinar series of UNILAG Muslim Alumni on the theme: “Addressing food security challenges through technology and innovation”.
In a Zoom lecture on Sunday, which was attended by many guests from Nigeria and abroad, Engr. Ajenifuja declared: “You can not be agriculturally effective if you are technologically deficient.”
The Minister’s aide said Nigeria can not achieve food security if farmers are not applying technology in the production and storage of food.
Commenting on the new initiative for home farming, Engr Ajenifuja said the citizens can achieve food security individually and collectively when we build wealth behind our backyard, adding that urban agriculture should be promoted.
He noted that for the nation to achieve food security, it must also develop policies to mitigate waste and corruption in agriculture value-chain.
On youth involvement in agriculture, the Minister’s aide decribed it as a striking panacea to food insecurity in Nigeria.
He explained that the youth can work effortlessly in various areas such as agro innovation hubs and ICT in agriculture, stressing that access to finance and capacity building must be prioritised and embraced.
