Food Seccurity: Don Advocates Deployment Of Science And Technology

Given the importance
of food security as a key development issue in Nigeria, a university lecturer, Professor Peter Okebukola, has identified how science and technology can be exploited to enhance it.
Professor Okebukola, who made this known  recently at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), hinted that Nigeria has what it takes to enhance national development through Agriculture by 2020.
In a bid to develop the country’s Agricultural sector, and improve food security by 2020, said, Nigeria first needed to transform our Agricultural produce system to a substantial mechanised system by 2020.
The country also needs to encourage the rehabilitation of all existing irrigation facilities to achieve an increase in the percentage of cultivable land from 1 per cent in 2010 to 10 percent by 2015.
According to him, Nigeria should achieve the adoption of improved varieties/species of seed and broad stock by 50 per cent of farmers by 2015.
The professor of Computer and Environmental Education also called for the promotion of special infrastructure such as dams, irrigation facilities, silos, extension services, rural roads, electricity and railway network.
Adoption of Agricultural Information System (AIS) and wireless technology to enhance effective mapping and classification of efficient allocation to crops, livestocks and fish production, he said its also required of the country.
In the same vein, the country has to embark on intensive use of Satellite Imagery to predict weather and/or climatic changes that affects agricultural production, while also promoting greater use of highly productive and disease resistant crops, livestocks, poultry and fish strains, breeds and species.

Stories by Sogbeba Dokubo