Agricultural Research in the 21st Century: An Academic Research Chat

THEME: Agricultural Research in the 21st Century HOST: Landmark University School of Postgraduate Studies PARTICIPANTS: The management, Deans, HoDs, SDG Team Leads AUDIENCE: LMU PG graduating Students represented by College best Graduating Students VENUE: SPS Foyer DATE: 7th and 8th Dec. 2020 METHOD OF ENGAGEMENT: Chat Sessions

Agricultural research is the springboard of national growth and development. More importantly, Agricultural research provides arsenal for addressing industrial and food security challenges. Again, the overarching component of Landmark University (LMU) vision, emphasizes on intensive and intentional engagement of Agricultural Revolution protocols towards restoring the dignity of the black race and in perspectives, the African man. The Dean, LMU School of Postgraduate Studies (DSPS), Prof. Charity Aremu, identified 21st century Agriculture Research as problem solving using core competences and skills.

Agricultural research is the springboard of national growth and development. More importantly, Agricultural research provides arsenal for addressing industrial and food security challenges. Again, the overarching component of Landmark University (LMU) vision, emphasizes on intensive and intentional engagement of Agricultural Revolution protocols towards restoring the dignity of the black race and in perspectives, the African man. The Dean, LMU School of Postgraduate Studies (DSPS), Prof. Charity Aremu, identified 21st century Agriculture Research as problem solving using core competences and skills.

On this note, Landmark University School of Postgraduate Studies organized a research chat for her postgraduate students with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) team leads, Heads of Departments, Deans of Colleges and the University management led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adeniyi Olayanju and Registrar, Ms Fola Oyinloye.

The Director, Landmark University Centre for Research, Innovations and Discoveries (DLUCRID), moderated the chat sessions. The maiden chat themed: Agricultural Research in the 21st Century held on 7th and 8th December 2020, was intentional in providing a directional pathway for the LMU Postgraduate students in engaging deployable research with focus on impact delivery. Again, DSPS identified seven key words from the theme to guide the chat sessions to include local, global, research impact, SDGs, synergy, internationalization.

She reiterated that these key words if captured will not only stir up the postgraduate students towards research for internationalization but also, move LMU forward in attaining the agrarian vision quest.

The Vice-Chancellor, having declared the chat sessions open, took the lead in addressing the challenges and prospects of Agricultural research in the 21st century. He identified the ravaging gap in food production and food chain cottages, climate vagaries, soil degradation and low attraction of the youth to agriculture as key challenges of agriculture and food security.

On prospects, he rolled out agriculture as the only means to the end of food insecurity and identified available agricultural land mass, exploring the 17 SDGs, multidisciplinary approach using competences as the way forward in driving agricultural research.

The Registrar in glamour expressed that LMU will be attaining greater height by constantly sitting to thinker on research issues such as this. She highlighted on LMU stakeholders’ approach in driving 21st century agricultural research to include stakeholder mentality, focused research to showcase product delivery, team work streaming from the echelon and student attraction to agripreneurship.

Better still, she noted that planning and undertaking inexpensive research experiment is an integral part of the 21st Century agricultural research. Hence, she identified the need to engage in short, mid and long-term goals in research and delivery of agricultural business to enable sustainability of operations.

Furthermore, Agricultural technology and innovation research must capture the attention of the youth. Using the platform of bazaar to showcase and celebrate agriculture is an encouraging path to celebrate youth in agriculture and by implication celebrating LMU vision mandate. Conclusively, she assured that the management will not compromise the engagement of manpower with requite competences in driving agricultural research in the university.

The Deans of the colleges and members of SPS board, passionately presented their respective strength and research niches in promoting innovation drive and sustainable agriculture.

The Deans identified that quality and timely agricultural input will promote sustainable development and that all farm input must drive profitability. Research must identify deployable innovations that will ensure continuous food production to feed and meet the needs of the overwhelming growing population across the African continent. Above all, LMU agricultural research must identify the gap between farmers and the academics (Town Gown). Hence research findings must fill such gap(s) using extension agents as middle men.

Before now, agricultural practice in the earlier generations (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th) was promoted by animal driven and mechanized farming systems. Going forward, this 5th and 6th generation, must earnestly drive smart agriculture.

In conclusion, the Deans and the four (4) best graduating masters’ students received insight on using their respective platforms to capture research niches in the SDGs that addresses:

1. Environmental Sustainability;
2. Smart and Cost Friendly innovations;
3. Green Health and
4. Green Energy

The chat identified that driving Agricultural Research in the 21st Century will not only showcase LMU amongst the lead in the scroll of SDG impact ranking, but will also, birth palpable inventions and patents that will culminate in food security impact thereby addressing the Sustainable Development Goals agenda.

In closing, the Dean SPS, acknowledged and appreciated the Vice-Chancellor and Registrar, for their continuous support and inspiring contributions towards the evident growth of the Postgraduate school. She prayed the management and Deans to prepare towards bringing up their expertise again during the upcoming SPS Public Lecture, when they will all be invited to expand on the theme in context.