FUNAAB, TAGDEV 2.0 Empower 400 Participants at Agricultural Capacity Building Workshop

The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), in partnership with the University of Port Harcourt’s TAGDEV 2.0 Programme, has successfully concluded a high-impact, two-day Agricultural Capacity Training Workshop.

Supported by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) and the Mastercard Foundation, the event focused on climate-smart agriculture, value addition, and the economic potential of farm waste.

The workshop, which concluded on December 22, 2025, provided over 400 participants—including farmers, entrepreneurs, and students—with practical strategies to enhance food security and drive inclusive economic development in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.

A central theme of the workshop was the transformation of agricultural by-products into commercial assets. Dr. Risikat Akinbode, in her presentation "Opportunities and Prospects of Wealth Creation from Farm Waste," challenged the perception of agricultural residues as refuse. She identified rice straw, maize stover, poultry droppings, and fish remnants as untapped resources for generating income and employment.

"With over 40.2 million Nigerian households depending on agriculture, the volume of waste generated is immense," Dr. Akinbode noted. She urged participants to adopt value-addition models such as the production of organic fertilizers, animal feed, biochar, and briquettes to promote environmental sustainability and economic resilience.