The Ogun State Government has empowered 4,316 smallholder farmers with home gardening toolkits and improved planting materials under its Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) programme to strengthen food security and enhance rural livelihoods.
Governor Dapo Abiodun, represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Bolu Owotomo, disclosed this during the flag-off of the distribution exercise in Odogbolu. He said the initiative was designed to equip farmers with tools and inputs needed to increase household food production and income.
Owotomo explained that the gesture demonstrated the Abiodun administration’s commitment to building a productive and self-reliant agricultural sector through inclusive and community-driven programmes. “This initiative is a practical step toward food security at the household level,” he said. “With the toolkits and improved planting materials, every beneficiary household can cultivate vegetables, tomatoes, okra, peppers, and fruits even in small spaces. What we are giving is not a handout but a seed of independence that will grow into a culture of productivity across our homes.”
He added that the world faced increasing food insecurity and nutritional challenges, making it necessary to embrace resilient, community-based food systems. “Home gardening is one of the most impactful ways to achieve this,” Owotomo stated.
The commissioner noted that the current phase of the programme covered Obafemi Owode, Odogbolu, Ijebu-East, and Yewa-North local government areas, with plans to include other councils in subsequent phases.
Governor Abiodun commended the SAPZ team and development partners for ensuring that the project reached genuine beneficiaries. He said the empowerment drive aligned with his administration’s ISEYA mantra and the state’s goal of sustainable agricultural development. The governor urged beneficiaries to take ownership of the materials and use them to improve their nutrition and earnings. “Development begins when people are empowered to feed themselves and live with dignity,” he said.
Chairman of Odogbolu Local Government, Babatunde Diya, described the empowerment as a strategic effort to build a new generation of agripreneurs. He revealed that the council had donated 400 hectares of land to support landless youths and women in agribusiness under the SAPZ initiative. “This programme particularly targets women, especially those of childbearing age, because they are the backbone of household nutrition and stability,” Diya noted.
In her remarks, the Permanent Secretary and State SAPZ Coordinator, Kehinde Jokotoye, said the empowerment aimed to enable women farmers to grow fresh, healthy food for their families and communities. “This year’s intervention focuses on four LGAs, and more will benefit in the next phase,” she said. Jokotoye warned beneficiaries against selling the toolkits, stressing that they were costly and meant to improve their livelihoods.
A resource person, Mr. Akinwande, trained the farmers on how to use the distributed materials effectively and adopt good agronomic practices to achieve quality yields.
Some beneficiaries, including Sunamite Atobisan and Okepopo Bolanle, expressed appreciation to the Ogun State Government for its continued investment in agriculture, promising to use the materials to enhance household nutrition and income.
The distributed items included okra, pepper, amaranthus, ewedu, pawpaw, and tomato seeds, along with cocopeat, germination trays, grow bags, hand gloves, organic fertilisers, organic insecticides, rakes, shovels, and SAPZ-branded bags.
The SAPZ programme is a Federal Government initiative implemented in collaboration with the African Development Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Ogun State Government.