By Vivian Ihechu, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Ms Rakiya Sadiq’s story is an inspiration for youths especially women in agriculture.

Sadiq, a beneficiary of the Golden Morn Agripreneurship Programme of Nestle Nigeria PLC, through her farm, is contributing to ensuring food security and reducing hunger in the country.

A graduate of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Sadiq is the Chief Executive Officer of Zulru Integrated Farms, an integrated farm company into the cultivation of cereal crops and livestock, located in Toro Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

Her business was incorporated in January 2021 in Jos, Plateau State, before extending to Bauchi.

Necessitated by the need to be self-employed and contribute to increasing food produce, Sadiq said she went into agriculture, focusing on cereal crops like maize, rice, and soya beans, as well as livestock.

According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), increasing food demand is a major concern in Nigeria as prices increases worsen poverty.

Worrisome is also the fact that the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimated that approximately 22 million Nigerians would face food insecurity in 2023, with about 80 to 82 million being at risk of severe insecurity by 2030.

The indices get scarier as in 2024, Nigeria is expected to see about 26.5 million people dealing with high levels of food insecurity.

Many factors including continued conflict, climate change, and inflation and rising food prices are key drivers of this alarming trend.

However, the corporate programme – Golden Morn Agripreneurship Webinar Series, a collaborative initiative between the Golden Morn brand and the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University, aims to promote sustainable food systems by increasing youth engagement in the agricultural sector.

The programme, sponsored by Nestle Nigeria Plc, also provides seed grants support for young entrepreneurs within the age range of 18 to 35, who are already engaged or set up a business in the agricultural sector.

In 2023, 25 young agripreneurs emerged as winners of the Agripreneurship programme, and seed funds of N500,000 were presented to them to scale their businesses.

The presentation of grants to the successful Agripreneurs, Mr Wassim Elhusseini, the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, emphasised the pivotal role of youth involvement in agriculture for building sustainable food systems.

 “To establish sustainable food systems, we must ensure youth participation in agriculture.

“Nestlé is, therefore, dedicated to helping young people develop the capabilities and skills they need to drive innovation in agriculture.

“Today, as we celebrate and empower the 25 agribusinesses who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and passion for shaping the future, we are delighted with the positive impact of the continuous investment by Golden Morn.”

The Category and Marketing Manager of Golden Morn, Ifeanyichukwu Orabuche, during the  presentation of  the grants to 25 agricultural entrepreneurs, said that developing farmers was essential for better agricultural practice.

According to Orabuche, the agriculture sector is one of the most viable sectors of the Nigerian society.

However, she decried that the average age of the Nigerian farmer was between ages 60 and 65 years, and that it posed a challenge to the agricultural value chain.

Consequently, she urged the beneficiaries to be more productive and sustainable in their business.

“As agripreneurs, you are employers of labour and that is why Nestle has decided to invest in your business. As a business, we all exist in an ecosystem.

“I am a firm believer in Nigeria’s commonwealth and I believe that the only way Nigerians would move forward is through the country’s collective commonwealth whether in agriculture, healthcare, or education.

“Everyone regardless of your income would share that common wealth. For us to coexist, we need to make sure the cycle continues.”

Evaluating the impact of the programme, the Project and Finance Manager of the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan Atlantic University, Obianuju Okafor, in a statement, said the average age of the Nigerian farmer was between ages 60 and 65 years.

Okafor added that this posed a challenge to the agricultural value chain.

According to her, the Enterprise Development Center is thrilled to partner with Golden Morn to provide essential skills and knowledge to young agripreneurs.

“The Webinar Series has been impacting individuals and businesses since 2021 with a focus on best practices in agribusiness.

“This collaboration underscores a shared commitment to empower and enhance the offerings of aspiring agripreneurs, contributing to the growth and sustainability of the agricultural sector.”

On some of the challenges encountered in agriculture and businesses generally, Sadiq highlighted lack of technological expertise and in depth/updated farming principles, climate change, insecurity and funding.

According to her, through the Golden Morn Agripreneurship Webinar Series and being a grant recipients, she has been encouraged and motivated to increase produce, sales and even target being a top supplier of cereal crops within and outside the country.

Commending the brand for the grant for her business, she said, “I was about to stop this business due to some limiting factors but the training and subsequent support from Nestlé’s Golden Morn has encouraged me to continue the business of maize, soyabeans and rice farming.

Sadiq advised youths and women to embrace agriculture, saying it creates employment, self-sufficiency, reduces poverty and hunger.

Another grant recipients, Chukwudi Imhokha, the Chief Executive Officer Azimhoc Ventures, Delta State said, “The journey with Nestlé’s Golden Morn has been a great learning opportunity.

The trainings on adopting business models and circularity for Business Sustainability and Profitability were particularly value adding and very practical for me.

“We are so grateful to Golden Morn and by extension Nestlé, for the huge investment in young people through this laudable initiative,’’ he said.

Food security remains a significant challenge in Nigeria, with millions of people facing hunger and malnutrition.

Addressing this issue requires broad approaches that tackle some of the root causes, such as lack of access to funding, technology know-how-limitations, insecurity and climate change, among others.

However, by investing in farmer’s especially young ones, infrastructure, training, making grants and funds available, promoting innovative solutions and generally prioritising sustainable agriculture, significant and impactful progress can be made toward ensuring food security and improving the well-being of citizens.

As such, concerted efforts and collaboration among government, organisations, corporate bodies, civil societies, and international partners, are needed.

It is in line with this, with the  aim of supporting  stakeholders’ action to provide support for young entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector and to ensure sustainable food systems, the Golden Morn Agripreneur Webinar Series programme exists, and keeps achieving significant stride in enabling young agripreneurs expand their businesses.

In addition, the project keeps making agriculture more attractive and appealing to youths, thereby increasing their involvement level in the sector.

Since its launch in 2021, the Golden Morn Agripreneurship Programme has provided training, financial assistance, mentorship, and networking opportunities to over 2,000 young people involved in, or aspiring to venture into agriculture.(NAN)

Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma