Agriculture
Experts Task RSG On School To Land
An appeal has gone to the Rivers State government to resuscitate the state owned School to Land Authority in order to curb unemployment among young school leavers in the state.
Speaking to newsmen at his country home , Owerewere, in the Emughan district of Abua, in the Abua/Odual local government area of the state over the weekend , an agricultural expert, Engr Mensah Muzan explained that the authority was not moribund rather its problem was administrative in nature.
“School to land is not moribund, it is not being administered the way it should be.
“It is not being backed financially the way it should be just as it used to be when it was first established”, he explained.
According to him, if school to land was reintroduced on a proper footing, unemployment would be a thing of the past because, if young school leavers were engaged and groomed in various farming techniques and allocated plots, they would be meaningfully engaged.
The Rivers State University of Science and Technology trained agricultural engineer was of the view that if government provided seedlings and help them plant their crops and even assist during harvest, and deduct government expense after sales, the balance would be enough to make income for the young farmers.
“We give them the inputs ranging from seedlings to planting and at the time of harvest, we even assist them.
“For example, if it is rice, we will mill the rice, and when we will mill the rice we cost it. We deduct government expenses and give them the balance income, so these are some of the ways we can curb unemployment”, he adviced.
According to Engr. Muzan, if government revatalises the STLA, work at the farms would not be strenuous because government will use their bulldozers tractors and other agricultural equipment which would boost output and at the end, the beneficiaries will own the farms.
“Basically, we would be using government vehicles to transport them to the various farms and at the end of the day they become farm owners and even stipend would be given to them”.
Engr Muzan said the essence of having a functional STLA was that our young school leavers do not roam the streets rather they should own their own farms even at the expense of the government because they are the responsibility of the government.
“The important thing was that they were learning so that at the end of the day, they want to be a farmer, and will be given a plot of land and government will provide the inputs, the profit becomes yours.
“That is the essence of school to land, that is coming from school to the land. “It is unfortunate now that we are relegating agriculture to the background, if not agriculture is the basic employer of labour”.
Engr Muzan said that in virtually every sector of agriculture, Rivers State has comparative advantage ranging from cash and food crops, diary and poultry as well as aquaculture development .
“In Rivers State, many people think we don’t have the potential. At STLA then, we were planting cow pea, what we call beans in Rivers State. “We were planting soya bean and corn in Rivers State, we became a threat to those who bring maize from the North. “We were rearing rams, that is sheep, we have the potential. In Rivers state, we should be respected in terms of agriculture.
“If you come to aquaculture and fish farming, we have the natural resources. In certain parts of this country, we need to pump water to feed fish farms.
“But in this place, we only have to construct a canal, regulate and direct the water to where ever we want it to flow to for optimal use”, he explained.
Expressing egret at the sorry state of some of the state owned agro based industries like Rison Palm, Rivers Vegetables Oil Company, RIVOC, Rivers Gulf Fisheries, he opined that if these establishments were managed well, school to land would have been only a ground for grooming young people to become farmers.
“For example, if RIVOC, Rison palm and Gulf Fisheries were fully utilized, I think school to land will only be were wanted to groom our children to become farmers.
“I mean good farmers as we have in the United States. A farmer is not a poor man and agriculture to me is a noble profession.
“If you don’t feed well, if you don’t feed your country, if you don’t feed your community and your immediate family, the people will become sicklers.
“Good feeding will breed healthy citizens” he adviced.
In terms of social integration, Engr Muzan explained that if school to land was revatalised, it would help cement the much needed cultural integration among the various local government areas of the state.
“I believe that if young farmers from different parts of the state come to your community, the mutual benefits are very very enormous.
“Let us not talk about other things but the culture that will come out of the situation will make you know that basically there is something good in school to land.
“In our rural areas, people who never saw bulldozers at work saw them.
“If we want to encourage our children to stop roaming the streets, let us get back to the farms that were established then by the school to land authority across the state and re-activate them”, he counseled.
He further urged the state government to take a second look and restore the dwindling for tunes of school to land as according to him, in the early days of school to land, products like eggs, garri, beans, yams, chicken and plantain where made available to civil servants at subsidized prices.
While advicing the state government to appoint competent personnel to man the ailing outfit, he stressed that those so appointed should be people who have the interest of farming at heart, just as the founder of school to land, Police Commissioner Fedelis Oyaghilome who visited the farms once every Friday.
This the farmers attributed to inadequate pest control facilities, lack of in-depth managerial skills, crisis, Climate control and other factors.
These were the observations of the farmers during the training of 6000 Cassava farmers and facility tour both at Fashola Agribusiness hub and Iseyin.
The training was coordinated by the African Agricultural Technology (AATF) Foundation and National Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia state, funded by Germany based Foundation.
The project coordinator of AATF, Samuel Ogunleye said the training has benefited the farmers immensely.
According to him, ‘the training is designed to benefit 6,000 Cocoa farmers in the 33 local government areas of the state.
‘The programme was incubated in 2023 but inaugurated in 2024. The programme has taken place in Ido and Ibarapa areas with the training of over 1,200 farmers.
‘Today similar programme is taking place here in Iseyin with over 2,000 farmers in attendance.
Farmers are being trained on how to increase their output as well gets it to the market through modern technology.
‘In Iseyin, there is a modern Cassava processor machine aimed at easing the processes.
‘The local farmers have access to the processor at a subsidize rate. Also, the foundation is assisting them at getting their products to the market”.
In his own presentation, the team leader, National Root Crops Research Institute, Dr. Adeyemi Olojede said the training was designed to address the decline in the
production of Cassava nationwide.
He said: ‘The training is designed for the off season in order to allow active participation of farmers.
‘Some of the challenges confronting the farmers are tabled while the solutions are proffered.
On the issue of funding, the University don blamed successive administrations in the Country for paying lip service to the sector.
According to him, the Research Institutes in the Country have not been able to access the Budget in the past five years.
The researchers are using their personal contacts to access funds from local and international organization to carry out research.
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Lagos State Chapter, has lauded the Federal Government’s approval of 57 crop varieties to strengthen agricultural productivity in the country.
The Lagos State AFAN Chairman, Mr Sakin Agbayewa, disclosed this in an interview with the Newsmen, Wednesday in Lagos.
Reports said that in March 2026, the Federal Government approved 57 new improved crop varieties to boost food security, improve nutrition, and strengthen agricultural productivity.
The crops, selected for early maturity, higher yields, and resistance to pests and diseases, include 14 different types of staples, with notable advancements in rice, maize, yam, soybean, and plantain.
Agbayewa noted the approval of the crop varieties would help improve the yields of farmers in the state.
“We are excited to hear about the 57 new varieties of crops recently approved.
“What we desire currently in crop farming is not just about planting, it is about increased yield.
“A farmer can have a plot of land and have a high yield and another can have big plots of land and have a low yield.
“So, if when are talking about food security, it starts from the varieties you are planting and it starts from the seedlings”, Agbayewa said.
He described the introduction of the crops as a new development for crop cultivation.
“This newly approved 57 crop varieties should however be popularised among local farmers because not everyone is aware of this latest development.
“There are lots of issues currently affecting the cultivation of crops and the development of improved crop varieties will help the farmer’s productivity.
“Issues such as climate change effects, inconsistent rainfall patterns and weather clash among others are affecting farmers’ yield,” he said.
Agbayewa said there should be massive advocacy of the approved crop varieties across the board for farmers, adding, “The government is now waking up to their responsibility. So, we are”
The event, with the theme “Aligning Science, Enterprise, and Policy to Scale Insect-based Feed Solutions,” brought together policymakers, researchers, regulators, private investors, and BSFL farming entrepreneurs to map out strategies for integrating insect protein into Nigeria’s agricultural system.
According to him, black soldier fly larvae can feed on organic waste including market and kitchen refuse and develop into high-protein feed within 10 to 14 days.
“It contains about 40 to 45 per cent protein, making it a viable alternative to some protein source feed ingredients in poultry, fish, and pig feed ration if produced sustainably” he said.
Amole noted growing interest from feed manufacturers, stressing that supply, not demand remains the major constraint
“The question now is who can produce at commercial scale,” he added.
He also highlighted Nigeria’s comparative advantage, citing its tropical climate and abundant organic waste, which support year-round production without the need for expensive temperature control systems.
He however emphasised the need for standardisation to ensure consistency in nutrient quality and safety across producers.
Also speaking, a Senior Scaling and Innovation Expert from the institutes ‘headquarters in Nairobi, Dr. Ijudai Jasada, identified fragmentation within the BSFL value chain as a major barrier to scale.
“We need a coordinated system that connects all actors and reduces inefficiencies,” he said.
Stakeholders at the Roundtable reached a consensus that ILRI should take the lead in establishing and championing a national platform on BSFL.
Jasada said plans are underway to establish a national coordination platform to improve collaboration, attract investment, and support long-term growth of the sector.
He said the goal is to integrate insect-based feed into Nigeria’s mainstream feed industry by 2030, while creating employment opportunities for women and youth.
On capacity development, Prof. Cordelia Ifeyinwa Ebenebe of Nnamdi Azikiwe University acknowledged ongoing training efforts by development partners and institutions but warned that Nigeria’s regulatory framework for insect-based feed remains underdeveloped.
She noted that standards are still evolving and are expected to align with benchmarks being developed by the African Organisation for Standardisation.
Similarly, Prof. Olugbenga Adeniran Ogunwole stressed the importance of safety assurance and regulatory clarity, warning that policy gaps could hinder large-scale adoption.
He identified key challenges, including variability in nutrient composition, digestibility concerns linked to chitin content, and relatively high production costs.
A BSFL producer, Mr. Kolawole Ogunleye, said large-scale production remains difficult due to limited access to equipment, financing, and infrastructure, adding, “The process is labour-intensive, and most of the equipment is still imported,” he said.
From the private sector, Mr. John Amole, Country Representative of New Generation Nutrition (NGN), described insect protein as a growing but still underutilised solution in Nigeria.
He noted that although insect meal has been approved as a feed ingredient, it has yet to gain widespread market acceptance.
“There is interest, but the ecosystem is still developing, and there are no guaranteed off-takers,” he said.
Sharing international experience, Ms Talash Huijbers of InsectiPro, Kenya, highlighted the success of circular economy models that convert organic waste into protein and fertiliser.
The roundtable concluded with key recommendations, including the establishment of a clear legal framework for insect-based feed, financial incentives for startups, standardised substrates, integration into national waste management systems, and increased funding for research and extension services.