IITA, corporate farmers initiate TV programme to boost agribusiness, create jobs

As part of efforts to shift focus of youths from white collar jobs to agriculture, agribusiness as well as to reduce rural-urban migration that increases poverty level, Corporate Farmers’ International Limited, a group of experts that devise innovation in agribusiness, partnered with the International

Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on solutions to unemployment in the country.

According to the initiators of the programme, the reality television show which will be launched soon on agricultural practice and agribusiness, is initiated to showcase opportunities for business and research solutions to the challenges in agriculture as well as to provide information and knowledge-sharing opportunities in agriculture and agribusiness in an entertaining manner, with a viewing to arrest youth attention and divert it to agribusiness.

Speaking at a media parley organised to discuss the forms of the programme held at IITA headquarters in Ibadan at the weekend, Ade Ajayi, national coordinator, Corporate Farmers’ International Limited (CFIL) disclosed that the establishment of corporate farmers’ reality TV show was borne out of the group’s desire to unlock economic potentials abound in agriculture and agribusiness in order to spur youths to engage in it and create jobs and wealth for the nation.

”CFIL in collaboration with IITA is proud to bring the first agribusiness and agro-tainment reality TV show in Nigeria and Africa entitled ‘Corporate Farmers Reality TV Show’ to take place within the premises of IITA,” Ajayi said.

“The event aims at promoting and attracting Nigerian youths to agriculture. It is to showcase opportunities for business and research solutions to the challenges in agriculture, and provide information and knowledge sharing opportunities in agriculture and agribusiness in an entertaining manner,” he further stated.

According to Ajayi, the event will select 20 contestants within the six geo-political zones through an audition. Contestants will compete with each other on various agricultural enterprises for a period of six weeks in a farm house. At the end of the show only one participant will be selected as the corporate farmer who will be Nigeria’s first agriculture ambassador that has gone through training and passed the eviction process to finally emerge as the winner in the first season.

The reality TV show promises to attract viewers of all ages and spur active participation through investments generation for increased involvement in agribusiness, using various media (television, radio, magazines, and social media). “We will deliver world-class ‘agro-tainment’ in a reality TV show, documentaries, and news programming. We will engage a media partner with the largest and widest coverage in disseminating information and through the show, create a passion for agriculture that would aid the youth in going into farming as a worthwhile business activity.”

The ultimate goal of the programme is to create employment and promote urban-rural migration, with investment for and in agribusiness in the rural areas.

“This project aims to influence Nigerians to see agriculture beyond food as we take them on a journey that provides a window of opportunities on agricultural business and a new area of investment. We want to encourage both the public and private sector to invest in agriculture and to see it in terms of five pillars: Business, Energy, Education, Finance, and Health.” He however, urged both government and private sector to support this initiative to help secure the future of Nigerian and African youths and help bring down the unemployment rate in the country… because if Nigeria succeeds, the rest of Africa will succeed.

Also, Nteranya Sanginga, director general of IITA, noted that it was high time government should start investing heavily in agriculture to create wealth and generate massive employment for increasing level of jobless youths to serve as economic contributors and not liabilities on the economy, adding that an investment in Youth Agriculture through various innovative ways such as the Corporate Farmers Reality TV Show, would positively affect Nigeria scoio-economic growth and development.