In a bid to boost tomato cultivation in Nigeria and foster town and gown relationship, the Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre (AMREC) of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State alongside the Institution Based Research (IBR) programme, has trained farmers within and outside the University community on participatory assessment of good agricultural practices on the growth and yield of tomato. The training session was held at the AMREC training hall in FUNAAB and was aimed at improving farmers’ knowledge on tomato cultivation as well as boosting agricultural production in Nigeria.
The Vice-Chancellor of FUNAAB, Prof. Olusola Kehinde disclosed that wisdom and knowledge are the differences between a successful business farmer and an ordinary farmer. The Vice-Chancellor, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development), Prof. Kolawole Adebayo, noted that “there are improved ways of planting tomatoes that farmers need to key into in order to have maximum yield”, adding that they should see agriculture as a business. The Director, Directorate of Research, Innovation and Partnership (DRIP) of FUNAAB, Prof. Mutiu Busari said that apart from teaching, the University had introduced several research works on how to improve agricultural yield and provide new varieties of crops to meet the teeming population of Nigeria.
The Director of AMREC, Prof. Olalekan Olaoye in his paper presentation, argued that adhering to good agricultural practices in tomato cultivation activities, pre-planting, planting, post-planting, harvesting and post-harvesting are crucial to tomato production, and increased profitability. He added, “Tomatoes are one of the most widely-cultivated and consumed vegetables globally, valued for their nutritional content and culinary versatility, but tomato production faces various challenges including pests, diseases, environmental factors and food safety concerns” while Dr. Jonathan Soetan urged farmers to be aware of the importance of record keeping and embrace it.