THESE PRODUCTION UNITS…
People have to eat and the farmer must at all costs produce the food and equally make money from his produce.
PEOPLE have to eat and the farmer must at all costs produce the food and equally make money from his produce. God has made us to produce our food through farming activities in order to survive.
That is why when Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden of Eden, the rosy type of life they had in the “Paradise – Garden of Eden” were food was just an arm’s length from any part of the garden was no more. Out of that paradise, the man and his wife and subsequent family had to survive. That time survival meant tilling the land.
We are in the same situation today. No matter what we so much want all, all have their origin from the soil. People can flush money, that money came into their possession from the land that provides everything. Minerals, chemicals, food name it has come directly or indirectly from the soil that God has given us. So if we misuse this resource then we have our selves to blame. God has made an enabling environment for everything to sustain man.
What am trying to say. It is interesting the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Higher Education is encouraging schools to grow something or at least establish production units. Growing of crops is the simple form of agriculture. And agriculture does not only mean the growing of plants to human beings to eat it also involves the rearing of livestock. Therefore, schools with ample land can do or carry out agricultural activities that can suit them or can easily be done. Such schools can make money or indeed make good income for the school. The income so realized can be utilized to improve the schools.
All in all, it should be added to helping students who are from the dis-advantaged families, those failing to pay their examination fees especially at grade 12 level. My suggestion is, while these students are in grade 11 they must be engaged in the production of whatever crops in the school unit and after the harvest the labour they provided must be numerate or paid so that they are able to pay their examination fees. The other alternative the school can pay for all students since they all contribute their labour to the growing or rearing of the school livestock. They have helped to generate income for the school. This income must be generated while the students are in grade 11. This can still be done for all examination classes if the school has enough land to produce the various crops.
Can somebody take this idea seriously, please…?
Agriculture is a business and should be treated as such. Apart from the income realized in this way, some of the produce can be used to feed themselves if it a boarding school. Let the school planner think about this for their students especially for the schools with ample land to carry out these activities. Parent Teacher’s Associations (PTA) must be involved. With such activities, the burden of paying for examination fees can be a relief indeed.
The schools should go into crops that sell quickly, if possible get a contract from the millers to grow certain tonnage of crops. This can be maize, soybeans, sunflower or groundnuts. These crops can be grown during the rainy season easily because the demand for irrigation would not be there. Showers of blessings would to the job of watering. Crops that demand high management can be avoided such as wheat. The crops so mentioned are medium management level which can easily be managed by schools because of the pool of labour that is in their reach. Depending on the hectare schools can harvest between 8 to 10 tons if it is the maize. This would mean raking in good income.
If the school has the financial muscle, they can go into irrigation. Irrigation does not only mean using sophicated equipment, simple equipment can be employed or used like watering buckets as long as the student population involved in that production unit is able to do watering. The idea here is to help potential students pay the examination fees demanded by such institution.
Maize as already said is one of the simple crop that can bring relief to the schools. Today this crop can be grown throughout the year.
Apart from grain crops, schools can still grow vegetables such as cabbages, onions, and tomato. One thing every district in the country has an agricultural office. It is the duty of this office to extend their field knowledge to help any school so that good and reasonable yields are obtained. Agricultural teachers are being deployed to schools in most rural institutions, this is a plus. The idea of high production can be achieved.
Students under the school production units would have provided the required labour and this labour attracts remunerations from those using them. Therefore, the income realized from the gardening activities must help the student or the pupil pay the required examination fees from such farming activities. This as already stated should be done or take place the year before the student exits from that school.