The third edition of the RadioIITA Farmers Outreach was organized in collaboration with the IITA Forest Center and Cassava Breeding Unit on 21 June. Selected vegetable and cassava farmers in Oyo converged at the Communication Meeting Room for brief introductions and updates on expected outcomes for the event. The RadioIITA Team Lead, Dajie Odok, said the Farmers Outreach was inaugurated to empower farmers with the latest innovations designed by IITA to up their yields and income. She said, “Through knowledge dissemination, hands-on training, and access to improved seedlings, we want you to adopt what you learn here and teach it to other farmers. Let the knowledge you gain here spread like wildfire.”
IITA Forest Center field staff, Taiwo Bankole, introduced the participants to the basic skills and activities required for successful vegetable farming. The five enthusiastic vegetable farmers at the event proceeded to the field to learn more. The field training focused on fundamental aspects of starting and managing a vegetable farm, including best agronomic practices tailored to local conditions.
Participants also identified and learned the uses of various medicinal plants at IITA Forest Center’s Ethnobotanical Garden. This session was led by another field staff member at IITA Forest Center, Joshua Babatunde, with interested participants pressing to learn more, asking questions, and engaging their facilitators maximally. One participant, Opeyemi Amole, requested that the Forest Center invest in research that will provide organic solutions to vegetable pests and diseases and publicize the rich knowledge bank the Forest Center holds in vegetable and medicinal plant gardening.
As the training ended, participants expressed their heartfelt gratitude and pleasure to the Forest Center and RadioIITA staff for the immense opportunity to learn from experienced experts. Adeyemo Sholadoye, echoing the gratitude of all the participants, said: “We appreciate the deep knowledge and practical insights shared with us and the actionable strategies and techniques to enhance our farming practices.” Omolola Dare, another participant present, said: “I am truly grateful to RadioIITA and IITA Forest Center for organizing this training. It has opened my eyes to new possibilities in vegetable farming and medicinal plants. My understanding of medicinal plants’ biodiversity and potential health benefits has greatly increased.”
The Forest Center gifted all participants with local (common and uncommon) vegetable seedlings to mark the training and knowledge-sharing event with the participants. The event underscored IITA’s commitment to empowering local farmers and highlighted the potential for sustainable agricultural practices that benefit human livelihood and the environment.
Contributed by Folake Oduntan
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