By Ajibola Adedoye
Participants of the just concluded Business of Agriculture Masterclass 2024 have been prompted to continue using the perceptivity gained during the session to make a thriving agrarian business that supports not only profitable growth but also food security and environmental sustainability.
Oludare Odusanya, General Manager of the BATN Foundation made this submission during the three-day programme that brought together crucial stakeholders, policymakers, and agripreneurs to address the pressing challenges and transformative openings within Nigeria’s agrarian sector.
Odusanya expressed the Foundation’s long- standing commitment to empowering pastoral communities and fostering sustainable agrarian practices.
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According to him, “For the past 20 years, BATN Foundation has worked to support smallholder growers through innovative agrarian enterprise, contributing not only to poverty reduction but also to the achievement of multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly 1, 2, 6, 8, 10 & 13”.
The BATN Foundation General Manager also encouraged actors to take full advantage of the masterclass to gain practicable perceptivity that can transfigure husbandry into a thriving business.
The virtual event themed “Cultivating a Rich Future through Agriculture” organized by Cluster 5 of the Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) in collaboration with the British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Foundation
In his reflections, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, said “this event is both timely and relevant, because it aligns impeccably with our charge to insure food security, profitable growth, and sustainable development in Nigeria”.
The Minister confided the cooperative efforts of the private sector and transnational associations for their unvarying fidelity to advancing husbandry, emphasizing that the future of the sector depends on transitioning from traditional husbandry practices to innovative approaches.
Co-chair of UN PSAG Cluster 5, Dr. Mories Atoki, who stressed the significance of invention in her reflections said “Innovation is the seed from which transformative changes occur. By fostering a data-driven approach, we can optimize agrarian value chains and develop scalable husbandry practices that profit our communities.”
She however called for new investment models that attract global interest and manage pitfalls effectively.
The Business of Agriculture Masterclass 2024 held between September 17 to 19, 2024 sought to equip both aspiring and established agrarian entrepreneurs with knowledge and strategies to turn husbandry into a profitable, sustainable business.
The event also aimed to foster a new period of invention in Nigeria’s agrarian practices by furnishing actors with tools to enhance productivity and overcome the sector’s longstanding challenges, similar as outdated husbandry styles, lack of technology, limited investment, and youth advancement.
The masterclass featured ten consummately curated sessions, ranging from crop product, agri-finance, and agro-processing to animal husbandry, monoculture, and agrarian technology.
The opening session, named “Planting the Seeds of Innovation Opening the Pathway to Agricultural Transformation, ” set the stage for a series of conversations concentrated on espousing innovative results and a business mindset to unlock the eventuality of Nigeria’s husbandry.
Other name sessions included The Business of Crop Production which concentrated on perfecting crop yields and profitability through ultramodern husbandry ways. Agri-Finance stressed how to pierce and navigate backing options to support agrarian growth. The Business of Agricultural Technology emphasized the part of digital tools in driving agrarian effectiveness and expansion while the Business of Agro-Logistics and Trade bandied the significance of effective force chains for request
The Business of Agriculture Masterclass 2024 underlined the critical part that agri-preneurs play in the future of Nigeria’s frugality, given that husbandry contributes about 24 to the nation’s GDP and employs nearly 70 of its pool.
Industry leaders, including Oba Dokun Thompson, the Oloni of Eti- Oni, and Segun Awolowo, National fellow of the National Committee AfCTA Nigeria Office, echoed the sentiment that invention, technology, and private-sector collaboration are essential for driving the agrarian sector forward.
The masterclass concluded with a renewed commitment to advancing Nigeria’s agrarian sector through sustainable, innovative practices.
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