NAME OF COLLEGE:
Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan
Institution Profile and Key Achievements of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan
Brief History of the College:
Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan (formerly called School of Agriculture) was established in 1921. It is the first Agricultural institution in Nigeria and even in West Africa. The history of this great citadel of learning is intricately woven with the history of moor Plantation and Agricultural Development in Nigeria. Moor Plantation is one of the oldest Agricultural Stations in Nigeria. It was established in 1899 as a model farm with the objectives of propagating rubber trees and general agricultural improvement. The station became an experimental station in 1905, largely for research activities on cotton to feed the textile industries, through an association of member farmers, directed by the British High Commissioner, Sir Ralph Moor who was immortalized in the name Moor Plantation.
In 1985, the Federal Government promulgated Decree No. 16 which empowered the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to moderate and accredit the Academic Programmes of Technological Institutions in the country. This led to the conferment on the School, the nomenclature “Federal College”. The Certificates obtained by graduates of the College then changed from Ordinary Diploma and Higher Diploma to National Diploma and Higher National Diploma, respectively. The products of the College gained access to participate in the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) Scheme. Since then, the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan continues to maintain her objectives of standard academic excellence and pragmatic training of manpower in Agriculture. The motto: Agricultural Education for Self-Reliance has never changed right from inception.
MISSION STATEMENT:
To contribute towards achieving the goals of Nigeria in Agriculture, through qualitative education and production of well-equipped manpower.
VISION OF THE COLLEGE:
To make Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan the first among equals in Nigeria’s Agricultural Educational Industry at the Tertiary level.
OBJECTIVES:
- To produce well trained agricultural manpower and issue National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) Certificates in various programmes.
- To strongly contribute and provide solutions to Nigeria’s Agricultural challenges by providing excellent extension services.
- To offer short courses and training programmes targeted at boosting the competencies of Nigeria’s agricultural personnel.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS:
Under this present leadership of the College, FCA, Ibadan is focusing on accelerated measures to reposition the school for improved academics, productivity and impact. This is being executed through four strategic developmental channels.
- Training
As a mandate of FCA, Ibadan, the institution is saddled with the responsibility of producing well trained diplomates at both the National and Higher National Diploma levels. These diplomates provide the required middle level technological manpower needs to farmers, agro-allied industries, agricultural institutions and government agencies in agricultural sector of the economy. Our students/diplomates are now better trained to be practical oriented, industrious, equipped with hands-on skills and do not need to depend on white collar jobs for sustenance or to positively impact the nation.
To improve on the quality of students’ training, we have recently stocked our Soil, Microbiology, Biology, Biochemistry, Pest Management and Physics Laboratories with Centrifuge, Soxhlet extractor, Humidifier, Distillers, Thin layer and Column Chromatographs, Spectrometer, Flame Photometer, Microscopes, Reagents, Autoclave, Power sets, Biological models, Hematocrit apparatus, Electrical Training Devices and other analytical and bio-assay facilities for teaching, students’ project analysis and generation of revenue for the College. Also, to increase FCA, Ibadan’s scope of academics, four new programmes have been accredited and the College now boasts of 14 academic programmes, with more to commence soon. The College was also recently reorganized into five Schools: School of Agriculture, School of Engineering, School of Science and Technology, School of Agricultural Management and Vocational Studies, and School of Basic Studies and Media Technology.
In addition to the production of diplomates, Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan is involved in entrepreneurial (skill acquisition) training. Applicants and students are trained, by the College, in various skills including cobbling, hairdressing, barbing, food processing, laundry services, electronics repair, fashion designing, auto-mechanics among others. The College is also involved in annual vocational training and we have trained over 5000 participants in this regard. The College conducts training for students at our adopted schools from time to time, this is to demystify the ambiguity surrounding Agriculture and agricultural practice, in order to positively influence their career path decision and ultimately, improve on our yearly students’ enrollment at the College.
In our bid to reposition the College through consolidation and innovation, the College now conducts training for both the Management team and regular staff members from time to time. This is aimed at improving their productivity, service delivery and overall efficiency in the discharge of their duties.
- Crop and Animal Production:
The College Animal Farm is equipped with snailery, rabbitry, piggery and cane rat production facilities. Others include poultry and College Abattoir for the processing of beef and other meat products. The College has also gone into broiler meat production on Public-Private Partnership basis with Tarz Farm. This is aimed at producing processed broilers with initial capacity of 5,000 processed broiler chicken every six weeks. A 5000 broiler capacity raised pen is under construction, with the intention to set up a semi-intensive, battery cage poultry production system. The set up will be equipped with a processing unit, as well as a cold room, and it will encourage quality, safe, healthy, accessible and highly nutritious poultry production for teaching, research, exhibition and commercial purposes.
The Federal College of Agriculture has a long list of agricultural production impacts, aimed at achieving food security, job creation and poverty eradication in Nigeria. Some of our crop production capacities include:
- A 200 acres farmland land for crop production, in addition to other cultivated farms towards food security
- Garri and Oil palm processing unit
- Presently, 20 acres of Cassava is cultivated at the College’s 80 hectares Demonstration Farm. This will soon be processed into Garri, right on the farm
- Plans are already in top gear to establish 30 acres of Cashew plantation at the College Farm before the end of the present raining season
- The College Horticulture Garden has been upgraded with the cultivation of Plantain, Pineapple, Soursop and also equipped with borehole water supply to irrigate nursery plants all year round
- The College Bora farm is currently under preparation for the commercial production of crops this season
- Designated farmland was recently prepared for the relocation of Citrus Orchard from our Senior Staff Quarters to the College premises. Budded stocks of different species of Citrus had been booked for and will soon be established on the farm
- Eight (8) acres, out of over 100 acres of farmland at our Agricultural Outreach Center at Okaka, Oyo State, is already cultivated for crop production
- Plans are underway to construct a new garri processing unit at the Agricultural business/Outreach center at Onifufu
- Farm Input Fabrication
As identified in the Agricultural Transformation Agenda: Policy and Strategy document, fabrications towards the automation of individual steps in the production system for various agricultural commodities is imperative and a prerequisite to an enhanced productivity in the agricultural sector. To this effect, the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan is presently contributing, through the construction of various farm input and post-harvest processing equipment, in order to mitigate drudgery and encourage agricultural practice.
- Research and Development
We have, in recent time, concentrated on research investigations aimed at minimizing farm drudgery, improving organic agriculture and developing efficient Agricultural Extension services. Recommendations from research investigations in these fields are channeled towards reproduction on farms and fields to establish the precision of such findings. Such outcome will go a long way in optimizing agricultural products with minimal input.
In order to develop sustainable contributions towards efficient agricultural practice, it is imperative to consider the conditions affecting crop production. To improve on the coordination of research in Precision Agriculture, the College recently commissioned a newly constructed Meteorological center to harness the changes in environmental parameters influencing the performance of agricultural produce. Data from our server have been accessed by researchers from within and outside the College for experimental purposes. In addition to this, the College (FCA, Ibadan) recently launched an academic journal: Journal of Agriculture and Bio-Engineering Science (JABS), to archive the observations and recommendations generated from research fields towards national adopting.
Organic Agriculture is currently gaining prominence in Africa, this is not unconnected to the rising cases of health defects associated with the consumption of crops produced with chemical input. Such medical challenges include birth defects, cancer, neurological problems, genetic disorder and other diseases associated with the cytotoxic accumulation of chemical components in humans. Consequently, the College has established an organic farm for the production of crops without chemical input. As at today, only a very few Institutions in Nigeria have Organic Farms. Thus, the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan establishing an Organic Farm is a major achievement. It is hoped that this Farm will make organic food available for the staff of the College and the entire Moor Plantation community, while it also serves as a training ground for students at different levels. This would rapidly facilitate the adoption of organic practices by many.