The Lagos State Government has created 158 agricultural projects in 150 public Secondary Schools and Correctional Centres under its School Agricultural Programme (SAP).
This was made public by the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, during a sensitisation meeting on rebranded SAP, now Lagos Agricultural Scholars’ Programme (LASP), on Thursday in Lagos.
Olusanya, represented by Mr Hakeem Adeniji, Permanent Secretary in the ministry, said that the projects comprised poultry, piggery, aquaculture and vegetable production value chain.
According to her, additional 32 projects will be established in phase I in 2022 in more correctional centres in Lagos State and selected schools within Education Districts I, Il and VI.
She listed the new projects to include 12 snaileries, four rabbitries, two grass cutters and four goat-rearing enterprises, and ten vegetable production (modified).
“These projects shall be implemented as phase I for the early part of 2022 being a carry-over from 2021.
“LASP, which serves as a ‘taster’ programme and a refresher course is beneficial to both agricultural science students and teachers in public state’s educational sector.
“The programme will assist the students to make up their minds by picking up a career in the agricultural value chain in the future which will eventually fill the vacuum being created by the ageing farmers.
“This will by extension, solve the problem of unemployment and help them become employers of labour in future,” Olusanya said.
The commissioner said that LASP was also expected to assist schools in generating income, ensuring food security and mitigating possible effects of the global food crisis.
“Under SAP, 158 agricultural projects comprising poultry, piggery, aquaculture and vegetable production are established in 150 Public Secondary Schools.
“The projects are also located in Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Noforija, Epe and within the Girls’ Correctional Centre, Idi Araba, Surulere,” she said.
Olusanya said that under the new LASP, no fewer than 63 officials, comprising 30 principals, 30 agricultural science teachers and three desk officers from three education districts, were being trained.
She said that the programme was part of the ministry’s Youth Empowerment Scheme designed to expose students to modern agricultural skills and farming methods.
The commissioner noted that the scheme aimed to empower students with sound practical knowledge of agriculture to complement the theoretical aspect being taught in the classroom.
She said that the programme was rebranded due to the skyrocketing cost of agricultural inputs for poultry, piggery and aquaculture by approximately 170 per cent.
She noted that in 2021, the ministry had obtained the approval of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to embark on new projects such as snail, rabbit, grasscutter farming and goat-rearing enterprise for sustainability under a new nomenclature of LASP..
The commissioner added that all projects when established would be completely handed over to the said schools and centres.
She said that the Ministries of Agriculture and Education would work together to carry out regular monthly monitoring visits to the pre-existing and new project sites to ensure their sustainability.