By Fr. Anthony Aneke
-How technology is driving one of Nigeria’s most modern farm
-Ignites hope for young farmers in the state
Agriculture, arguably is central to fostering economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving food security in Nigeria. With the emerging food challenges the nation is faced with, ensuring food security has become an issue of key importance for us with different degrees of economic development, while the agricultural sector plays a strategic role in improving food availability.
This of course is the cardinal drive as the Auxiliary Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Ernest Obodo decided to take the bull by the horn by establishing the MaryAgro Farm, Udi for the Diocese.
According to Bishop Obodo, nine months after his ordination, he had a push to do something with the little money he had to start a farm that will feed, empower and employ as many as possible.
“I gathered together twelve young priests I had known from the seminary and who were interested in agriculture. I was in charge of agriculture and labour then in the seminary so in a way, I was a mentor to these Priests. I talked to them about helping our people through agriculture and so we started what we called Young Farmers Club”, His Lordship narrated.
The inspiration behind Mary Agro farm
The project which has commenced in full-fledge with its pilot scheme and has adopted modern technology in its productivity drive is solely aimed at providing food, education and employment for at least ten thousand (10,000) people at the long run. According to His Lordship, the pilot scheme which has commenced fully will usher in the larger farm project which will occupy an estimated 500 hectares of land and will be able to cultivate, harvest and process agricultural products of all kinds.
This according to His Lordship is part of the vision of the church to contribute effectively to increasing food security, availability and as well provide employment for the teeming population. At present, the Mary Agro farm in Udi which is currently at its pilot stage has a flourishing farm comprising of cultivated vegetable crops of all kinds, maze, poultry, piggery farm, fishpond and many more. With 24 hours water supply and a technologically developed recycling system, the farm can boast of all year round uninterrupted production and a sustainable food chain management.
The vision to raise a generation farmers
Speaking on the larger vision to empower young people in getting involved with farming, Bishop Obodo revealed that a sum of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (500,000) soft loan will be awarded to successful students who will complete an intensive 6 months training on designated farm interest.
His Lordship revealed that the training scheme will have young men and women undergo intensive training with top experts in all major agricultural interest and at the completion of their training, the soft loan will be handed to them with an agreement to repay at a stipulated time for others to benefit as well.
The training programs according to His Lordship will not only be limited to young people, however, there is a program for retirees and individuals who have interest in the business of agriculture and also have the fund to invest. They will be trained and will be guided on how best to invest for better returns.
“For this Pilot project, we have an arrangement for a little farm as an introduction to the bigger one. We call this a model farm. This model farm is contained in about 10 hectares of land in Udi. We intend to practice in Udi for three years before we could move to the permanent site.
“For now, we have a modern class room for fifty (5)0 people where students learn modern ways of farming, after which they are introduced into practice. We also wish to empower them with a non interest Loan of five hundred thousand Naira (500,000) at the end of their study, to enable them begin their own farms. Our target is to get to Ten thousand (10, 0000) youths when we move to the permanent site”, His Lordship revealed.
Bishop Obodo further urged Nigerians, especially Igbos to rise to the growing need for food in the country, noting that the nation has all it takes and the potentials to effectively grow, process and distribute her food to finally put a stop to the growing hunger in the country.
“We have our eyes on a five hundred hectares of land between Omowo, Umumba Ndi Uno , Obunofia Ndi Uno and Obunofia Ndi Agu . We already made cash commitment and hope to pay up after we had made the necessary registrations. It will be wonderful if we get the land since we want to go into full blown agriculture.
A farm to feed the nation
“We want to have the largest farm in Africa, aimed at helping put food on the table for our people and money in their pockets. We aren’t just aiming at making food available; we want to process the food ourselves. In this country, we have raw materials which we export, they in turn process and bring back a lower quality and at a very high price.
“We have built a classroom that will take about fifty (50) students, two piggery farms, three poultry farms, twenty fish ponds, vegetable farms and so on. We think it’s time for Africa to rise. Europe and America and even some politicians in Nigeria have this mentality of, “keep them hungry in other to enslave them”. Europe won’t want Nigeria to rise because almost 60percent of the raw materials they need come from here. And as far as Africa is poor, we will perpetually depend on them. We have arable land in the South East, but our people lack knowledge. So, we want to teach them to go to the farm; we just need good condition and environment. Give us a good environment and we will do better.
“We have about 10bags of 50kg bags of corn processed this year. Here the products of the animals are used to feed the crops in terms of manure while the crops are used to feed the animals. So, It’s is zero waste system, we recycle.
“We have clean environment for our pigs. A lot of people are discouraged from going into piggery because they think it’s dirty. We have 44 Pigpens and 200 pigs.
“The pigs grow within 6 months. They give birth 3 times yearly. We have had 18piglets delivered by one Pig. Each pond has 500 fingernails, so ten thousand fishes all together, ready for sale after four months.
“We have Turkey and Chicken Farms. We have about 6000 chicken layers but all haven’t started laying eggs, only about 2500 have started laying eggs. We have about 80 crates of eggs daily. And hopefully before the end of September, we would have them lay 200 crates of eggs daily.
“People believe that onions only come from the north, sometimes ago; I read that the north starved the East of some food items. We can now produce it. We have coco too, so once you culture the environment and make it work, our land can produce all these.
“Our theme is to give then something to eat ourselves which are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and we as his workers are to do what he asked us.
“Our intention is also to preserve all the traditional natural foods we have in Igbo land like Agbugbu, Fio-Fio, Akidi, Ukwa etc. I am happy that I eat very fresh food every morning. I eat vegetables from my farm; in fact, 90 percent of what I eat is from my farm. I eat very healthy so I want to also help people to eat very healthy. I want to go back to the olden days where we produced and ate those things that make people healthy and reduce the over dependence on foreign things like rice and co.
We have Roots, crops and vegetables like Cucumber, Onions, Green Vegetables, Garden Egg, Tomatoes, Avocado Pear, Pepper, SourSop, Yam, Cassava, Water Melon, Breadfruit, Banana and plantain Plantation.
“This project will become a source of financial help for the Diocese and Christians at large. This will help reduce collections in churches as money needed for Diocesan projects, the Seminaries and support for troubled places in part of the world will be readily available.
“We will not only help our people to get money and food, we will also help our Diocese to create a strong financial base and ease the pressure from priests and the faithful in raising money for all that it is needed for, this is our dream and we pray that it will come through in Jesus name, Amen”, His Lordship declared.
No doubt, Mary Agro farm will once again be adding to the many developmental stride Enugu Diocese has continued to take as part of her contribution to the economic development of the state, South East and the country at large.
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