OAU Gets N223m Vegetables Grant From IDRC
Canadian-based International Development Research Centre has donated $1.12m to the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, through the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund to support research in agricultural products, particularly food and vegetable productions.
OAU, in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said the fund would support the development of agronomic packages for the cultivation of indigenous vegetables, like “Igbagba, Woorowo, Ogunmo, Ugu, Tete Abalaye and Odu”.
He said the Ife-based OAU, in partnership with four other universities, including Osun State University (in Nigeria); University De Parakou in Benin Republic; universities of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, both in Canada, would work in collaboration with the Institute of Agriculture Research and Training in Ibadan and Bio-resources Development Centre in Ogbomoso and some non-governmental organisations.
According to Olanrewaju, the second phase of the project was designed to advance indigenous vegetable production, enhance vegetable yields, promote consumption and value addition, propel marketing, preserve soil and water ecosystems
He said, “While it is envisaged that the results from the project have the potential to set up profitable vegetable value chain and business that would continue to work in a self-sustaining manner beyond the life of the project, it will also leverage Canadian knowledge in using the only synchrotron in Canada to analyse long-term effects of micro-dosing techniques and the long-term sustainability of the system, thereby consolidating the three African universities as knowledge leaders on indigenous vegetables and micro-dosing research, linking research to development, policy and practice.”
The OAU team of researchers was led by Prof. Duro Oyedele, with other eminent scholars like Professors Kehinde Taiwo, A.B Ayanwale, O.K. Adekunle and D.O Toriminro. Others are Drs. M. K Idowu, O. Deji, B.J. Amujoyegbe, J.O. Aynde, Lanre Ikuteyijo and Aransiola.
The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Bamitale Omole, lauded the academic sagacity of the lecturers involved, pledging to support them in every way possible.
He, therefore, called on other researchers to do all they could to attract more grants to the university in order to assist humanity through the beneficial results of their research.
