Incubators boosting agribusiness

By: DANIEL ESSIET
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and others are accelerating farms’ growth and agri start-ups through incubation facilities. They do this through training and support to aspiring agri- entrepreneurs, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

With the agriculture in the spotlight, the innovation and skills to help the industry make strides in food security and sustainability are lacking. Added to this, the industry’s workforce is ageing fast: the average Nigerian farmer is about 60 years old. To keep the industry going, the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and other organisations have begun to train a new generation of farmers that will sustain grow the sector.

The Deputy Director-General, Partnership for Delivery, IITA, Dr. Kenton Dashiell, said through its incubation programme for young graduates, many people have embraced a change in farming.

Consequently, he said young people trained under its  IITA Youth Agripreneurs programme now consider agriculture as a viable career and  farming as  a real economic opportunity.

Participants of the  programme, he explained,  are taken through a process which focuses on  building  agro businesses  deemed crucial to agricultural growth.

According to him, the young   farmers learn new ways of doing things, scaling up small-scale ventures, managing finances and marketing products. In addition, they are connected to a mentoring programme with more established business runners. The institute boasts of renowned experts that can talk about the fundamentals needed to grow seeds, including seed biology, harvesting, storage and how to conduct variety trials.

Director, Systems and Site Integration, IITA, Dr Kwesi Atta-Krah said the institute’s entrepreneurship programme has been recognised for its engagement and innovation.

According to him, the programme teaches young graduates how to turn ideas into food  products that create value in society.

He said the institute has   opened up a business incubation facility to   help both new and up-and-running agric and farm businesses achieve their goals more quickly by providing guidance and advice on any topic when needed.

To  boost the project, the  organisation has provided demonstration farms where farmers can be taught various agricultural techniques and technologies, showcase new or improved crops.

In the demonstration farm, the farmers are taught everything they need to know about agriculture. This includes  steps to  improve crop productivity, increase yields as well as profits and food security.

He said the institute provides opportunities for farmers to participate in its programmes to access varieties that are best adapted to their production system, and yield produce with high nutritional quality and flavour.

He  stressed that  young   farmers, have a huge range of things that they have to be really good at if they want to be successful, adding that  the institute is providing young and existing ones the support needed to  grow in the businesses.

Atta-Krah emphasised that steady growth in agriculture, which is critical for tackling poverty and inequality, as well as supporting domestic demand, also ultimately depends on productivity growth.

In light of the significance of alleviating poverty, creating decent employment and reducing inequality, he emphasised the importance of creating an enabling environment for agric entrepreneurship, which could be a potent catalyst for change.

Chief Executive, Business Incubation Platform, Frederick Schreurs said the  business  incubator plays a vital role in injecting commercial business growth into agric business as they work with researchers to bring  new products to the market.

Schreurs said IITA’s Business Incubation Platform (BIP) supports the institute’s strategic goals and accelerates the commercial development of its proven and profitable R4D technologies, ensuring close alignment with R4D, the institute’s research arm. He said BIP focuses on two avenues of commercial development: the creation of innovative and commercially viable products by IITA scientists, and the initiation and building of a network of public and private-sector partners that will support the activities of small to medium scale agribusiness entrepreneurs.

Agric incubators have played a vital role in boosting innovation and agric growth. However, many business people are still unaware of the benefits that they can bring to the economy. Founder, Agrihub Nigeria, Aderonke Aderinoye is also in the vanguard of enabling   young and inspiring  farmers  grow their businesses.

She  has created   an agri incubator space  for inspiring  farmers.

Source: The Nation