The Malete Youth Integrated Training Farm Centre established by the Kwara state government is one of the measures introduced to arrest the menace of youth unemployment and engage the youths positively, thereby preventing restiveness in the state. The fifth set of trainees numbering 97 passed out from the centre last week.

The Youth Integrated Training Farm Centre (YITF) was set up in 2005 by the former governor of the state, Dr. Bukola Saraki to train and position youths of the state as successor-generation commercial farmers. The centre was established with the following clear-cut objectives: To bring about economic empowerment for youths in Kwara state; to train youth in modern farming methods to improve their lives and livelihoods; to generate a successor-generation of commercial farmers driven with a mindset of profitability and to develop Agricultural Entrepreneurs for job and wealth creation.

Since its establishment in 2005, the farm has produced five sets of trainees who were empowered to cultivate some hectares of farms lands at designated YITF Graduands Farm Settlements in Oke-Oyi, Alateko and Ayekale communities.

So far, 418 youths have been trained in the farms while the first, second and third sets have been empowered and cultivated 1, 310 hectares of farmlands in designated settlements. The fourth set of trainees who graduated last year has had their empowerment approved but funds are yet to be released according to the Senior Special Assistant on Agric Matters, Alhaji Mahmud Ajeigbe who added that the latest graduands of the scheme would be empowered latest by September.

At the graduation ceremony of the fifth set of trainees held in Malete, Moro local government area of the state, the state governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, observed that the centre is serving dual purpose including empowering the youths and addressing youth restiveness. With the staggering rate of youth unemployment, the governor believes introducing agricultural training for youths would not only provide them the means of livelihood but will serve as a counteraction to terrorism and restiveness being experienced in Nigeria.

Ahmed stressed that the people of the state, especially the youths, must take advantage of the vast arable land and government's agric-business friendly policies to generate employment opportunities for themselves and others.

The governor explained that centres like the Malete Youth Farm were critical for providing youths' required technical skills to engage in agric business, adding, "Over the last two years we have supported the youth farm with over N100 million for its capital projects and to upgrade and rehabilitate its infrastructure, repair all lights and heavy equipment amongst other critical intervention," he said.

The governor disclosed that he has approved the review of the farm centre's curriculum in order to improve the quality of training and challenges of the future, adding that as a government of continuity, his administration will continue to support the centre's efforts to produce a new generation of commercial farmers in the state.

He added that roads have been constructed across the state to create access to farming communities and for easy evacuation of farm produce. The governor charged the graduands to be innovative and impart their knowledge on other youths and encourage them to take to commercial farming.

Among the graduands were holders of Bachelor of Science degree, Higher National Diploma, Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE) and Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE). The governor's aide, who oversees the centre, in a chat with Daily Trust explained that the YITF programme is structured to have 80 percent practical and 20 percent theory session. According to him, government is accessing funds from available credit sources especially the Bank of Agriculture to empower the trainees selected from 16 local government areas of the state. "Within the next three months, we would have put up the structured credit line and we would be able to empower this particular set on or before September. They would be expecting between N200, 000 and N300, 000. They are cultivating about two hectares of land allocated to them in Oke-Oyi and Alagbado area and the calculation is done per hectare depending on the crops they are planting," he explained.

The governor's aide also disclosed that the curriculum of the centre has undergone review to include other programmes just as short-term courses have been introduced to train youths in agriculture. These programmes, he added, are being patronised by the Federal Ministry of Youths, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Kogi state government, among others.

He said, "The current curriculum is still on the 80:20 blends which are 80 percent practical and 20 percent academic. But what we have introduced now is for example, hitherto now we didn't have dry season farming. His Excellency has approved an irrigation project so that we can have irrigation training.

"So, the dry season farming will take place. Then, we have structured the training. January to April, we have dry season; rain fall - May to September. So, what it means is that in between, you have the livestock. We used to do fishery and poultry; we are going to add more ruminants - sheep, goat and cattle. That is another introduction.

"We are going to improve on computer acquisition, bee keeping and farm management. We will also introduce mentoring talk. The belief is that people need to see young men who have been able to take their agricultural concerns to profitability as mentors so that they know that you can run an agric concern and make money from it."

Some of the graduands who spoke to Daily Trust on their experience described the training as life-changing; one that would enable them break the jinx of unemployment.

According to Jolayemi James Olalekan, a Higher National Diploma (HND) holder from Ifelodun local government, the one-year training had exposed him to the techniques and technicalities of commercial farming. He said despite his academic qualification, he realized agriculture as the only reliable means of making ends meet in the face of the staggering unemployment rate in the country.

He said, "Like you have heard from stakeholders, agriculture is the way. It is the way out of poverty and unemployment. As a youth, I feel very happy and lucky to have participated in this training and I want to encourage other youths out there who still wallow the street in search of jobs to also take advantage of Malete centre to acquire the necessary skills to be successful commercial farmers."

Also speaking, Abdullahi Tundun, a trainee from Ilorin South local government area said, "The training was good. It has been a wonderful experience in the last one year and I can say categorically that I am a qualified farmer. I want to thank the state government for providing us the opportunity." He promised to positively deploy the skills gathered in the course of the training to tackle the challenges of unemployment as well as contribute to food security efforts.

On his part, Akanbi Toyin, an NCE holder from Isin local government called on the government to fast-track their empowerment process.