The Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Agriculture has launched the Smart Aquaponics and Poultry System (SAP-Sys) Units in six colleges in the state.
The Ministry explained the move formed part of efforts to promote agriculture and expose students to modern agricultural skills and techniques.
The beneficiaries of the first phase of the SAP-Sys Units which are solar-powered modern, innovative integrated farm technologies for rearing Aquaculture, Hydroponics and Poultry simultaneously, are the Lagos City Senior College, Sabo-Yaba; Igbobi College, Yaba; Omole Senior Grammar School, Ojodu; Lagos State Model Junior Secondary School, Meiran, Agege; Anthony Village Senior Grammar School, Anthony; and Special Correctional Centre for Boys, Oregun.
Each of the schools was provided with a unit of Smart Agri-Pyramid Systems (SAP-Sys) stocked with 400 fish juveniles, 50 Point of Lay Birds, planted vegetables (fruit and leafy) and complemented with provision of inputs for food production and micro-enterprise activation championed by students and regularly monitored by technical officers of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Abisola Olusanya, the State’s Commissioner for Agriculture, while speaking during the handing over of the six completed SAP-Sys units, said the development signaled another landmark feat in the history of the state to engender food security and stimulate the interest of the younger generation in farming.
She said the SAP-Sys is a component of the Lagos Agric Scholars’ Programme (LASP) which was developed by the Ministry and approved by the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to positively impact and empower the youth.
“We are excited today to hand over this project in our schools. Specifically, the Lagos Agric Scholars’ Programme is a component of the Ministry’s Youth Empowerment Scheme designed to develop the interest of secondary school students in agriculture through exposure to modern agricultural skills.
“Through this project, we are equipping students with sound practical knowledge of Agriculture as a complement to the theoretical aspect taught in the classroom in the short-term, whilst enhancing food production and security through active youth participation in agriculture, in the long run,” Olusanya said.
She recalled that the programme previously focused on establishing agricultural enterprise projects in poultry, aquaculture, and vegetable production via the provision of agricultural inputs and equipment in selected senior secondary schools across the State, training Agricultural Science teachers on the management of the projects as well as monitor implementation in the participating schools.
“However, given the need to align the programme’s primary objective with emerging global needs for sustainable food production through innovative agricultural technology for active youth participation, the programme was relaunched in Y2021, with the Ministry up scaling the direction of implementation to the Smart Agri-Pyramid Systems (SAP-Sys) – a Solar Powered Smart Portable Integrated Hardware for rearing fish, poultry, and vegetable (Hydroponics) simultaneously,” Olusanya explained.
Olusanya noted that the objectives of the project include; stimulating students’ interest in agriculture through on-farm engagement, educational competitions, and agricultural enterprise development, as well as building students’ socio-emotional and technical skills in agriculture, agricultural technology, and adoption of the latest global agricultural best practices within the school-agricultural ecosystem.
She stated that the project also aims to resuscitate and re-brand the young farmers’ club known as the Lagos State Agricultural Scholars’ Club (LASGRICLUB) as a channel for students’ active engagement, while equally promoting the establishment and usage of sustainable modern agricultural projects and technology among Lagos schools.
She said to ensure sustainability, agricultural extension officers will routinely monitor the farms monthly and scale up training of teachers and students by exposing them to modern techniques of farming, while there is also a plan to establish the farms in all public schools in the state.
The principals of the benefiting colleges all commended Governor Sanwo-Olu and the State Government, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture for the initiative of the modern school farm, saying the project would go a long way in boosting agricultural production and stimulating the interest of students in farming.
