FG establishes students’ agric clubs

The Federal Government is set to establish “Students’ Agricultural Clubs” in select 12 states of the federation to enhance students’ interest in agricultural development.

The Senior Special Adviser to the President (SSAP) on Schools and Agriculture, Dr Baraka Sani, who made this known recently at a World Press Conference said, “the mandate is to implement programmes that will introduce young students to the various opportunities in agriculture, by promoting skills for life, and further contribute to the drive in ensuring the diversification of the county’s economy in line with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda. The select states are in the first phase of the programme, others will come out later as we proceed.”

Dr Baraka said the programme will expose the students to food vegetation production, including small scale irrigation where needed, fishery and aquaculture, poultry, nutrition, processing and packaging, apiarist training for honey production, livestock production and entrepreneurial programme for members of the club.

Some of the objectives of the programme according to the SSAP include; acquisition and development of practical attitudes towards agriculture, equipping school leavers with job opportunities through practical teaching of skills for life, building entrepreneurship skills in the students to run agriculture as a business, offering the young farmers a voice and creating a stronger spirit of working together, and unity amongst students.