Engineers under the auspices of Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineering (NIAE) have converged in Abuja to discuss on how to leverage emerging technologies to enhance food security.
Prof. Joshua Olaoye, the National Chairman of the institution, said this at a
five-day NIAE 24th International conference and 44th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abuja on Tuesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference has “Emerging Technologies for Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability and Food Security” as its theme.
Olaoye said that the institution was looking at how it could use the existing innovation, research output to modernise agriculture.
He added that it had concluded plans to ensure sustainable agriculture environment for food security.
According to him, this year’s conference focuses on emerging technology and tools for sustainable environment and food security.
NIAE boss said, “Our goal is to foster adequate and appropriate research and develop goals that will ensure sustainable environment, to also achieve food security.
“We have experts on ground that will again look at some of these emerging trends, either in food production, agricultural production, crop processing, soil and water irrigation in such that we can also have a sustainable environment.
“Our goal is to also discuss how we can develop the ecosystem where both the land, soil, plant and the human that will work on it will have a sustainable environment without having negative effect on human.
“It is not just enough to look at technology but we must also go beyond the level of identifying innovations and coming up with appropriate tools that will be handle by farmers for use.
“We must go on higher level, if we must feed ourselves. To secure food has a lot of benefits. It will curb the issue of insecurity in the society, and give good public health.”
In his remarks, Gov. Babagana Zulum, who was a special guest of honour at the event, stated that for the agricultural engineers to achieve all their plans, the country must posses good leadership.
He said that without good leaders, Nigeria’s political landscape will never be complete, and that all the problems bedeviling the country will never be addressed.
“In as much as we need good leaders, we also need good followers. The root causes of insecurity, poverty, illiteracy, environmental degredation, inequality is lack of good leaders.
“Without good leadership, we cannot address all the problem bedevilling the country. Everybody must take responsibility for the development of this country.
“Every challenge in this country has to do with leadership; corruption is our major problem and it has deepened into the lifestyle of individuals.
“If we must get it right, we must all be committed to good governance especially security of lives and property because without security, there will be no development,” he said.(NAN)
