The Federal Government and the South-West Governors have been urged to urgently adopt irrigation farming to overcome the projected food shortage this year.
The Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, and two traditional worshippers in Oyo State, Dr Biodun Agboola and Dr Fayemi Fakayode, made the call at the installation ceremony of Fakayode as the Mogaji of Onibudo family at Oke Aremo, Yemetu, Ibadan.
Oba Adetunji, who was represented at the event by Chief Shina-Olatunji Aresa, the Mogaji of Okiti family in Ibadan, stated that “for Nigeria to avert food shortage in the new year efforts should be directed toward irrigation farming.
“This will mitigate the effects of bad weather on planting while farmers should also be protected from criminals that attack and destroy their farms.
“We should see that the time has come for us to realise that the way we practice farming here in the South-West Zone cannot sustain us.
“The food shortage projection is predicated on so many reasons ranging from bad weather, insecurity and largely the poor funding from the government,’’ the Olubadan stated.
On their part, the Secretary-General, International Council for Ifa Religio, Dr Biodun Agboola and Dr Dr Fayemi Fakayode, Secretary, Traditional Religion Worshippers Association of Nigeria, Oyo state branch, called for collaboration among Southwest states, to ensure food sufficiency this year.
Agboola, who is also a lecturer at the Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile Ife, said irrigation system could bring lasting solution to the food crisis in Nigeria.
“As a famer, I have come to realise that the problem farmers encounter is lack of good facilities and infrastructure in their farms.
“And for the citizens to escape hunger we must produce more food, the South-West governors should collaborate and evolve solutions to this problem.
“They should adopt mass irrigation farming as the permanent solution to food crisis in the region,” he stated.
Fakayode added: “We have Ikere Gorge Dam at Iseyin in Oyo state, Erelu Water Works, Asejire in Osun and others which can be used to assist farming settlements along these areas.” (NAN)
