FUNAAB Hosts Nigeria's First National Symposium on Greenhouse Cultivation

The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), has hosted Nigeria's first National Symposium on Greenhouse Cultivation, advancing calls for wider adoption of controlled-environment agriculture to strengthen food and nutritional security, enhance climate resilience and unlock agribusiness opportunities.

The opening ceremony of the three-day symposium, which commenced on October 21, 2026, at the university's Red Chamber, was declared open by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, under the theme "Greenhouse Cultivation for Enhanced Food and Nutritional Security in Nigeria." The event brought together researchers, industry practitioners, government agencies and other stakeholders to explore innovative solutions for sustainable agricultural production.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Kehinde described the symposium as a strategic platform for knowledge exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration and development of innovative approaches to addressing Nigeria's agricultural challenges. He explained that greenhouse cultivation allows farmers to regulate temperature, humidity, light, water and ventilation, thereby improving productivity, enabling year-round production and reducing crop exposure to adverse weather, pests and diseases.

The Vice-Chancellor identified tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and strawberries as crops suited to greenhouse production, noting that complementary technologies such as drip irrigation and hydroponics could improve water-use efficiency and crop yields. While acknowledging high establishment and maintenance costs, technical demands and need for continuous monitoring, he described greenhouse cultivation as a worthwhile investment amid climate change and rising food demand.

Prof. Kehinde disclosed that FUNAAB had incorporated greenhouse use and management into its postgraduate curriculum since 2015, with plans to introduce the course at the undergraduate level through the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS).

Delivering the keynote address titled "Greenhouse Cultivation: The Big Picture for Food Security, Climate Resilience and Agribusiness Growth in Nigeria," the Team Lead of BIC Farms Concepts Nigeria and Canada, Mr. Adebowale Onafowora, described controlled-environment agriculture as a strategic response to climate change, fluctuating food prices, pest infestations and limitations of conventional open-field farming.

Mr. Onafowora projected that greenhouse cultivation could unlock an estimated N600 billion opportunity for Nigeria through the development of more than 100,000 commercial growers nationwide. However, he stressed that realising this potential would require affordable financing, technical expertise, sustained research support and effective market linkages, identifying high commercial lending rates and inadequate risk-sharing mechanisms as major barriers.

An Ashoka Fellow and global controlled-environment agriculture expert, Mr. Onafowora emphasised that greenhouse cultivation should be viewed not merely as construction of protected structures, but as an integrated production system capable of advancing food security, commercial farming and sustainable agribusiness.

Earlier, the symposium convener, Prof. Isaac Aiyelaagbe, said the programme was designed to promote stakeholder participation and strengthen public-private sector collaboration. He explained that the opening day focused on private-sector engagement, while the second day would combine industry participation with academic discussions. Participants were also scheduled to visit selected greenhouse facilities for practical exposure.

Prof. Aiyelaagbe expressed appreciation to sponsors and supporting organisations including CitiVegies, Amazon Farms Organic, MIPAT Modern Integrated Farms and Food Processing Ltd, BIC Concepts, NIHORT and others.

By hosting the symposium, FUNAAB is strengthening the role of universities in agricultural research, technology transfer and industry collaboration.