By Fatima Muraina

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Ondo State Agricultrural Commodities Association, OSACA has called on farmers to adopt Solar-Powered Irrigation system and Virtual Security of their farms for food production and sustainability.

The State Chairman of OSACA, Mr Gbenga Obaweya made the call while addressing farmers at a stakeholders meeting held at the Agriculture house in Akure.

Obaweya, emphasized the benefits of clustered farming and urged swift adoption of the initiative to maximize  impact.

Introducing the Solar Irrigation and Virtual Security project to empower farmers, Dr. Patrick Tolani assured sustainability and security of the projects.

Tolani, who is a Chief Executive Officer of Community Energy Social Enterprise Limited, highlighted the need to transit farmers from costly and unreliable fossil fuel-powered pumps to eco-friendly solar energy.

He emphasized the crucial role of security in addressing the larger issue of farming abandonment, underscoring the integration of the Police VGS app to protect farmers, equipment, and crops through real-time monitoring and rapid response mechanisms.

“We certainly need security and we are very fortunate that there is an already existing security infrastructure which is called Police VGS App, so what we are doing now is that we want to partner with them so that anywhere we deploy our assets, we can protect our staff, we can protect the farmers, we can protect our equipment and we can also protect the crops by putting virtual fence around the farms and we will be able to monitor every of the farms real time,” Tolani stressed.

Acknowledging the importance of collaboration, Tolani revealed plans to engage various security agencies, including Amotekun Corps in every state of operation to ensure comprehensive coverage and swift emergency response.

The initiative, named the Integrated Farmers Support Programme (IFSP), not only provides solar-powered irrigation but also integrates Aquacrop technology to enhance yields and instill confidence among farmers, thereby encouraging a return to agriculture.

The State Coordinator of Small Scale Women Farmers Organization, Mrs Grace Oyediji and General Secretary of Ondo State Agricultural Commodities Association, OSACA, Mr Ayo Omogie, echoed the call to action, urging farmers to seize the opportunity and spread awareness to ensure widespread participation.

The meeting which centered around sensitization programme on Power-Powered Irrigation and Virtual Security  had in attendance; the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists NAWOJ, women in agriculture and  other commodities association’s.