Senator Moves To Boost Food Sufficiency, Empowers Constituents
As part of efforts to boost food production and enhance economy of the people, no fewer than 250 youths in Ekiti North senatorial district have been trained on Agro-forestry practices.
The three-day-training programmes, sponsored by Senator Duro Faseyi, in conjunction with the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria was held at Iludun Ekiti, in Ilejemeje local government area of Ekiti State.
The training on the Agro-forestry, according to the facilitators, was one of the ways to ensure food security, increase Nigerian forest coverage, reduce environmental problems and poverty through employment generation.
Represented by one of his aides, Hon Adeola Ogunrinde, at the first phase of the exercise, Senator Faseyi said the training which was aimed at empowering the youths in the senatorial district will exposed the participants to new and modern Agricultural best practices in grass cutter, snailry, briqquet, wood-cement board and ceiling productions.
Others include, soap making, African locust beans, mushroom and honey productions.
Faseyi, who is the Chairman Senate committee on Air Force, said: “It is imperative to adopt modern ways of food production in Nigeria as a way of fighting hunger and poverty among the people, hence the need to assist the youths both male and female awho are still in production age to develop financially.
“The latest land management training is also on how to accommodate the production of food and forest products on the same piece of land with revamped output per unit area and offer alternative development strategies for rural areas.
“The problem-solving training at both rural and urban centers highlighted to the participants the definition, concepts principles and practices of ago-forestry for food production and environmental protection”.
Lamenting huge amount of money the country is expending on importation of food stuff to the neglect production, he stressed the need for government at all levels to create an enabling environment for the youths in order to encourage them to participate actively in food production.
According to him: “Nigeria can only develop through local production of agricultural products, hence the need to make the practice our culture and stop the importation of nearly all food stuff.
“This is only option left for the country to attain a sustainable development and progress and at the same time banish poverty among the electorate for peace to reign”.
Senator Faseyi charged the participants who were given fifty thousand naira each after the end of the training to put into practice the knowledge acquired at the training exercise and impact same on others saying this is the only way the society can be developed.
He reassured the people of the senatorial district of his readiness to continue alleviate their sufferings through empowerment and other programmes aimed at making life more bearable for them.
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