No fewer than 300 public primary and secondary schools own farms in Kwara State.
LEADERSHIP learnt that the management of government schools was encouraged to instil farm practices in their pupils and students in order to make Kwara State self-sufficient in food production.
This medium published a story a fortnight ago about the state government’s plan to make garden farming compulsory in all its schools.
The commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mrs Olohuntoyosi Thomas confirmed that 300 public schools in the state have their farms.
“Over three hundred schools are already being supported by the state government on crop production and animal husbandry,” the commissioner said.
She added that the state is doing great in terms of farm estate, home garden and school farming.
“So far in Kwara State, we have over one hundred clusters which are the same as farm estates. That ranges between 20 to 5 hectares. As a result of that we have been able to improve our productivity.
We have done four interventions out of which 70 percent went to clusters,” she said.
The state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq also confirmed that 300 public primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools in the state have school farms which also include animal husbandry like poultry, fishery, goat and sheep rearing.
The governor spoke in Ilorin during a two-day bi-annual zonal review meeting on the implementation of Food System Transformation Pathways (FSTP) organised by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning and held in the state capital.
AbdulRazaq, who was represented by the commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Hajia Sa’adatu Modibbo – Kawu, said Kwara is leaving no stone unturned to achieve the objectives of the programme.
He stated that his administration is committed to the implementation of FSTP, which promotes access to safe and nutritious food for all Nigerians.
