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FUBK
CHRONICLE
A PUBLICATION OF FEDERAL UNIVERSITY BIRNIN KEBBI VOL.2 NO.1 MARCH, 2023

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ALSO INSIDE

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 EDITORIAL CONTENTS
TEAM
FROM THE DESK OF DEAN, FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE,
BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO................................................. 3

ABOUT NAAS-BUK................................................................4

THE EDITORIAL PEN.............................................................5

HOW OLD IS AGRICULTURE..................................................6

INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR, CDA........................................7

SIGNIFICANCE OF AGRICULTURE IN OUR MODERN

SOCIETY: YOU ARE NOT IN THE WRONG PLACE..................10

INTRODUCTION TO HORTICULTURAL CROPS.......................11

GOOD CV AND JOB INTERVIEW TIPS...................................13

IMPACT OF CLIMATIC STRESSORS ON WEST AFRICAN

OYSTER FISHERY: IMPLICATION FOR FOOD SECURITY
IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.................................................. 15

EXPECTATIONS ON ACADEMIC PURSUITS...........................17

INTERVIEW WITH PROJECT COORDINATOR, KSADP........... 18

FISH PROCESSING..............................................................21

IMPACT OF CLIMATIC CHANGE ON FOOD SECURITY

IN NIGERIA...........................................................................26

NUMBERS............................................................................28

RESEARCH PAPER WRITING PROCESS................................29

AGRARIAN REVOLUTION OF THE 20TH CENTURY.................32

FLOODING AND THE "NUISANCE" EXPORTATION OF

FARM PRODUCTS.................................................................33

ANTIOXIDANTS IN OUR FOODS AND THEIR IMPACT

ON OUR HEALTH...................................................................35

AQUACULTURE: A VERITABLE TOOL FOR SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT AND FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA................37

THE BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF AQUACULTURE

Published by
National Association of Agricultural Students
(NAAS) Bayero University, Kano
2020/2021 Administration
AS A METHOD OF FISH FARMING.........................................43
SIGNIFICANCE OF FOREST TO THE GLOBE...........................46
ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE NAAS 2020/2021
ADMINISTRATION.................................................................47

GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4 2 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 FROM THE DESK OF DEAN,
FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE
BAYERO UNIVERSITY, KANO
O
n behalf of staff and
students of Faculty of
Agriculture, I salute the
Executives of the Nigerian
Association of Agricultural
Students (NAAS), Bayero
University Kano branch, for their
perseverance despite the
numerous challenges. They are
focused in the pursuit of the
annual publication which this
time around marked the fourth
volume of the Green Focus
Magazine. This is no doubt a
great achievement and it's a
pointer to the quality of leadership
of the association.
It may please our students to note
that the Faculty of Agriculture
which was established in 2001
began in May 2002 with 109
students and three Departments;
but has grown to eight
Departments hosting five
undergraduate degrees, twelve
PhD, fourteen MSc and four PGD
programmes. The undergraduate
student population is 1,840 (1,148
and 692, male and female
students, respectively) while the
postgraduate student population
is currently 304 (227 and 77, male
and female, respectively). The
number of teaching and non-
teaching staff is 210, comprising of
167 and 34, respectively.
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
PROF M. A. HUSSAINI
In 2012 the University established
the Centre for Dryland
Agriculture (CDA) whose focus is
on training high level manpower
in subjects related to dryland
resources. The Centre has
advanced training facilities to
compliment the numerous
resources domiciled at the
Departments. Similarly, in 2022
the Faculty was blessed with a
TETFund Centre of Excellence
(CEO) in Sustainable Food
Systems and Products. The goal of
the Centre is to address the
challenges in food systems
through harnessing partnerships,
trainings, entrepreneurship, and
productivity for sustainable food
security in Nigeria. It is a
partnership with FARA (Forum
for Agricultural Research in
Africa) under the ARIFA
( Agricultural Research and
Innovation Fellowship for Africa)
initiative. There are also a number
of research projects undertaken by
staff of the Faculty with funding
from local and international
agencies. These have helped to
a v a il op p ort unit ies t o our
students.
Based on the foregoing, our
students should appreciate the
enormous efforts the university
and staff of the Faculty have put in
3 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
place over the years to grow the
Faculty and enable an effective
learning environment for a diverse
field of agriculture and related
disciplines. This has provided huge
opportunities for smart students to
imbibe the culture of
entrepreneurship and develop
their skills to fit into the
competitive world of the 21st
century.
However, there is no doubt the past
few years have been challenging to
both staff and students due to the
Covid-19 pandemic and the
misunderstanding between
university workers and the Federal
government, which has prolonged
the students' residency period.
These are some of the setbacks in
real life and only those with the
ability to endure can survive.
Finally, I will use this medium to
urge our students and most
especially those graduating to
always strive for an achievable goal
by being determined, focused and
result oriented. With hard work,
dedication, humility, honesty and
God fearing, success is assured.
Congratulations and best wishes,
Prof M. A. Hussaini
Dean
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 About NAAS-BUK

T
he Nigerian Association of Agricultural Students, BUK Chapter (NAAS-BUK) is an academic
association that represents the interest of the Agricultural students in Bayero University Kano whose
main objective is to promote educational and social interaction among the students with a view to
fostering good relationship and general welfare of members in order to effectively utilize educational, cultural
and social resources for the development of responsible participation in contributing to the progress of
Agriculture in Nigeria.

NAAS-BUK is affiliated to the NAAS National Body; which was founded in 1973 at the Faculty of Agriculture-
University of Ibadan, ever since the seat of the National headquarters has been rotating across the various
Agricultural Faculties in the country via election at National conventions.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

?
To cater for the general welfare and interest of the members of the association
?
To promote educational and social interaction among the students
?
To promote exchange of ideas in all fields of agriculture
?
To promote practical application of agriculture among members
?
To build the capacity of members through organizing seminars, trainings and workshops

MISSION STATEMENT
“To represent the voices, promote academic excellence and personal growth of all members
by providing them with opportunities to develop leadership skills, engage in community
service and build intellectualism through capacity building trainings”

VISION STATEMENT
“To be recognized as the leading student association on campus that is committed to personal
and professional development fostering a culture of leadership, service, and excellence among
our members, and to be a leading voice for student issues within and outside the campus”

CORE VALUES
Leadership Inclusiveness Excellence Integrity Innovativeness

GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4 4 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK

A
ll praise and adorations are due to
the Almighty, the lord and
cherisher of the universe. We thank
Him, beseech His assistance and seek His
guidance and Forgiveness.
It is with great enthusiasm, that I present
the fourth edition of the green focus
magazine to you all. The Green Focus
Magazine is a publication of the Nigerian
Association of Agricultural Students,
Bayero University Kano Chapter (NASS-
BUK). Three volumes of the magazine have
been produced by previous
administrations, and it is our honor to
present the current edition from the
2020/2021 administration.
This beautiful piece will help students of
Agriculture and related fields stay
informed about the development in the
agricultural space, as it enshrines
ABDURRAHMAN USMAN ZUNNURAIN
President, NAAS-BUK and
Editor-in-chief
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
The
Editorial
Pen
insightful information and knowledge
related to agriculture and others, spanning
across soft and employability skills,
general knowledge, scholarly articles,
available opportunities, and the
achievements of NAAS.
I want to express my gratitude to everyone
who helped make this volume of the Green
Focus Magazine a success. I hope that the
write ups will be of great benefit to all who
come across this. Additionally, I hope that
any noteworthy flaws will be pardoned as
the product of human error.
We sincerely apologize for all submitted
articles that have not made it here due to
space factor, the submissions have been
very beautiful and overwhelming.
Finally, To my fellow patriots, I say a
hearty “Congratulations” We made it.
5 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 HOW OLD IS
AGRICULTURE
I ntentionality, cultivation and
practice are key words in
defining agriculture but for me,
Agriculture is the beautiful magic
of food sprouting from below the
ground to sustain man's life,
whether it was intentionally or
unintentionally planted, or even
met there as is the case of its
advent. I do not think it is possible
to trace the age of humanity's most
beautiful practice, but one point
that can be made is that
agriculture predates writing and
civilization. Man has always eaten
to satisfy hunger, from
subconscious times of
experimenting with edibles and
non-edibles to determine what is
best for the body, to gathering and
hunting in the wild, to the
systematic raising of plants and
animals. One thing that all men in
the stone age, bronze age, iron age,
classical era, medieval era, early
modern era, and modern era have
in common is that they all ate to
survive.
With due respect to all scholars,
Scientists, archaeobotanists,
paleoethnobotanists and all other
greats that have attempted to
assign numerical values to this
practice, pinpointing the absolute
beginning of agriculture is difficult,
as even those who tried have, traced
to a certain time, of which the yields
from the soil was consumed years
before the time. I grew up listening
to stories, from both educated and
uneducated people, grandparents
and scientists, fictions and facts all
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Eric Andrew
Level 300, Faculty of Agriculture
Bayero University Kano
to narrate a part of the history of
agriculture and they have all been
beautiful, affirming further why this
is the most beautiful of all practices.
However, I'd like to share a common
and amusing one in this write-up.
“Even our earliest created
ancestors, who were not born, came
to existence and were maintained by
that which came forth from the
earth, demonstrating that
agriculture is older than man
himself.
For crops, Men used to be travelers
moving from place to place
gathering from the wild the things
they knew and knew not of. They
however ate and left remains of
whatever they ate there and
traveled along for search in other
places. But since the journey was a
to and fro movement, man noticed a
pattern that the same kind of food
he threw away in a place grew there
after the rainy season. The trend
continued and keen observation and
intentionality birthed the
understanding of the way systems
worked and that the seeds, soil and
water will provide them more food.
God created both man and animals,
but with exposure to the wild and a
natural touch of barbarity, man saw
survival in the consumption of those
animals. He however, hunted,
killed, and ate raw that which he
got. Man was still eating raw his
animals, but knew how to make the
fire to keep warm in caves and in
thatched huts that man learnt to
6 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
make. One of the ancient man's
houses caught fire with an animal
stuck inside, and it burnt to death.
Man as has always been worried
about loses rushed but all left was
the animal burnt, he touched it but
the flaming temperature burnt his
hands and he dipped it in his mouth,
but he found that it was sweet, and
they feasted on the rest and realized
that the burnt animal tasted better
than the raw. A beautiful method of
replacing raw animals with burnt
ones evolved, in which men took
turns setting their houses on fire
with their animals entrapped to
enjoy a delicious meal.”
These short tales clearly do not trace
an advent of agriculture or a
scientific throwback, but are an
escape from the all serious class
room dating trying to find out how
old is a practice older than when
men could tell the difference
between right and wrong and
knowledge itself.
From subconscious times, to hoe
farming, to animal powered
agriculture to the now systematic
and modern way of growing food
with the support of technology like
drones, robots and GPS, agriculture
continues to be as it always has been
the most beautiful practice and
profession, ensuring the wellness
and sustenance of man. If
agriculture fails, everything else
will. To ascribe a value to agriculture
is to count to infinity backwards, and
to answer how old is agriculture is to
answer how old is man.
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 “Almost 8 billion lives and every
mouth needs to be fed”
Director, Centre for Dryland Agriculture
Excerpts from an
Interview with
Prof. Jibrin M. Jibrin,
Director, Centre for
Dryland Agriculture
A history of the Centre for
Dryland Agriculture, BUK
T
he Centre for Dryland
Agriculture was
established about 10 years
ago. The idea started around
2010/2011, when the university
started thinking of establishing
centers of excellence that will
address issues in our region and
coincidentally, there was a call
from MacArthur Foundation, an
organization already supporting
the university's activities
especially in the areas of ICT. At
that time, MacArthur Foundation
was also trying to promote the
development of University based
centers across africa. The idea of
setting up the Centre for Dryland
Agriculture came around that
time and we put a proposal for the
foundation to support the takeup
of the centre, and the proposal
scaled through after evaluation
and we got a grant of $800,000 to
set up the centre. Before setting up
the centre, we engaged a wide
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Prof. Jibrin M. Jibrin
Bayero University Kano
level of stakeholders from within
the country, within the region, and
internationally.
We developed the idea and the
programmes of the center, by
organizing two workshops, one,
national and another,
international, and from that time,
we thought of the center as a
regional centre, because when you
talk of dryland, it is not limited to
Nigeria. We live in a region that
extends both left and right with
vast areas of dryland across the
West, Central and down to East
Africa. Most of the problems in
these areas are similar and that
was how the centre started.
We admitted our first set of
students around 2013, our
programmes are mainly for
postgraduate activities, MSc and
PhD. We started in 4 programme
areas which are Natural Resource
Management and Climate Change
wh i c h i s a n ch o re d b y t he
Department of Geography and the
Department of Soil Science, Crops
and Cropping System in drylands,
which is housed in the
Department of Agronomy,
Livestock Management and
Range Production in african
drylands, in the Department of
Animal Science, and Livelihood
and Natural resources economics
7 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
housed in the department of Agric
Economics and Extension.
A couple of years ago, we
introduced additional
programmes called MSc
Agricultural technology, which is
in the Department of Agricultural
and environmental engineering.
We run MSc and PhD in the first 4
and MSc in the last one. We also
run postgraduate diplomas in
dryland agriculture. We support
the Faculty of Agriculture and
various departments, in training
their undergraduate students.
The 400 level students from the
Faculty of Agriculture come to the
centre for their practicals and
exposure. They are presently
using the CDA farm for part of
their field practical training in the
final year, and the laboratories.
We also run short professional
courses to provide training and
skills to different clients. In this
case, we run the courses based on
needs. When we identify the need
for a particular skill, we organize a
training of about 40 hours or more
to provide these skills.
The centre kickstarted in 2012,
with Professor Auwal Hussaini as
the founding director. He was
there from February to November
2012, and I took over from then
until now.
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
EXCERPTS FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH PROF. JIBRIN M. JIBRIN,
DIRECTOR, CENTRE FOR DRYLAND AGRICULTURE (CDA)
The goal of CDA is to be a regional
centre that would respond to the
teaching, research and
development needs of individual
communities and institutions
and industries in the dryland
area of West Africa.
What are the strides CDA has
made so far?
Since establishment, we have made
a number of giant strides. The
Centre was set up as a result of a
competitive seeking of funds from
donors. We competed with several
institutions and won the initial
takeup grant which was used to
establish the centre. 2 years after
establishment, in 2014, we
competed with several institutions
in Nigeria and Africa to win a grant
from the world bank to be regional
centre of excellence which was
around $6,800,000, and we
managed the programme according
to expectations and got
commendation from both World
Bank and the association of African
universities that managed the
programme, and because of our
good performance during the mid
term review of the program, in
2016/2017, we got an additional
fund of about $1,000,000, making
the total grant obtained in that
project $7,800,000. In 2018, the
world bank and the french
development agency extended the
africa center of excellence project by
calling for proposals to have the
Africa centre for excellence in
development impact. We competed
and got selected and won a new
grant of $5,000,000 for another 5
years. We have won numerous
research grants from partners and
we have executed several research
activities within Nigeria and within
the region. We have attracted many
partners from different continents,
UK, US and we have partnered to
execute different programmes.
Another giant stride is that one of
our programmes got selected as a
programme that represents and
provides opportunities to train
skills in Africa, It is called PASET-
Partnership for Innovation in
Applied Science, Engineering and
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Technology. The programme has a
regional scholarship and innovation
fund that supports Africans to
pursue PhDs within Africa. There
are only 15 of such universities that
host these programmes and BUK is
one of them. Through this
programme, students get sponsored
from across Africa to CDA for their
PhD's.
So far, we have enrolled students
from the Africa centre for excellence
in development impact project and
PASET. We have enrolled students
from at least 15 countries within
Africa.
Are the programmes at CDA
handled only by the Centre or in
conjunction with BUK?
We run the programmes in
partnership with the various
departments mentioned earlier. We
coordinate, develop the programmes
and let the departments run and
handle it. We liaise between the
department and the postgraduate
school to ensure things run
smoothly.
What are the requirements to
get into the CDA programme?
They are mostly postgraduate
programmes and you need to meet
the minimum admission criteria
which is on our website. For short
courses, anybody can enroll if he fits
the call for that particular training.
What are the teaching, learning
and research facilities that CDA
embodies or have?
We are fairly well resourced in terms
of facilities for teaching and training.
We have well equipped laboratories,
a well equipped farm, classrooms
and facilities that can provide a good
learning environment which are
some of the best l in Nigeria.
Who are the CDA partners and
what are their contributions to
the CDA goals?
From within, all the various
departments and units of the
university are part of the CDA. We
have about 24 communities around
the university that we engage and
refer to as CDA adopted
communities. We have institutions
8 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
like the extension agencies, various
NGOs, research centers, other
universities both within Nigeria,
Africa and other continents, such as
Europe, and America.
There have been words about
the entrepreneurship and
innovation hubs CDA has
created for its students to
avail them the opportunity to
write dissertations that will
create a marketable product
that will be patented. We will
need more light on that.
To correct you, it is not just for our
students, just as we made a call
recently to get ideas we can
support from young people.
Undergraduates and other young
people can apply. But the idea is
that, everything we do in terms of
trainings, teaching you in the
classrooms, taking you to the
laboratories and others should
translate into changing lives for
both you and for our communities,
if not, they're useless.We want to
encourage people with good ideas
to develop entrepreneurship
skills, be innovative, and to set up
businesses so we can practically
use their knowledge to address the
problem in our communities. We
believe we can create wealth out of
the problems we have. We plan to
build an entrepreneurship centre
here that will support and mentor
young people in agribusiness.
How are some of the projects
Undertaken by CDA
addressing SDG 13; Climate
action?
One of our programs is on natural
resource management and climate
change, but when you look at other
programmes, crop and cropping
systems in dryland and so on, even
by implication, they address the
issue of climate change. We have
run several research activities that
seek to address the impact of
climate change and we are also
addressing SDG 1 (No poverty),
2(Zero hunger), and others by
implication. One of the research
activities going on right now deals
with flooding in Jigawa state that
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
EXCERPTS FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH PROF. JIBRIN M. JIBRIN,
DIRECTOR, CENTRE FOR DRYLAND AGRICULTURE (CDA)
addresses the issue of climate,
especially related to adaptation
and mitigation of floods in those
areas in Jigawa state.
We got wind from the fact that
CDA fresh from farm has
garnered customers from
within the universities and
beyond. How was CDA able to
achieve this?
The farm outlet is in a strategic
location in the university and we
have a farm. It is natural that
even though our focus is training
and research, we build
sustainability in the system.
Some of the outputs from the
farm are brought to the outlets to
supply the university community
and because of the quality of the
products and the low prices, we
have these customers. Also, we
are still working to see how we
can improve and provide better
services to the university
community.
An aerial view of Centre for Dryland Agriculture (CDA)
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
From within, all the
various departments
and units of the
university are part of
the CDA. We have
about 24 communities
around the university
that we engage and
refer to as CDA adopted
communities.
We have institutions
like the extension
agencies, various NGOs,
research centers, other
universities both within
Nigeria, Africa and
other continents, such
as Europe, and
America
9 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
What advice will you give to
students of agriculture and
agri-preneurs and what
opportunities are
available for them?
Students studying agriculture
are in the right profession and
if you learn your skills well,
you will be employers of labor.
Do not think of agriculture as
what our grandfathers used to
do. It is not carrying hoe and
wearing tattered clothes; you
can make a good income if you
focus and practice what you
learn. The future is in
agriculture. As you see these
fintech billionaires, you will
start seeing billionaires from
agribusinesses. Almost 8
billion lives and every mouth
needs to be fed, and clothed.
You must produce, process,
innovate and make what you
produce attractive.
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 SIGNIFICANCE OF AGRICULTURE
IN OUR MODERN SOCIETY:
YOU ARE NOT IN THE WRONG PLACE
A
modern society is an
industrialized environment
where people live together
in a current time with an
expansion in education,
technology and urban life. A
modern society goes hand-in-hand
with sustainability which deals
with the consumption and
utilization of resources by the
current generation without
compromising the ability of the
future generation. In today's
modern societies, there exist over
population, high rate of
unemployment and economic
recessions, high inflation rates,
pandemics, security threats and
food insecurity amidst a changing
climate. Having all these
challenges in place, 'you are not in
the wrong place' because the
Agricultural sector is believed to
be a perfectly inelastic portion of
the society that humanity cannot
strive without.
Agriculture was initially defined
as the cultivation of land, rearing
of animals for human use and
consumption. In a modern society,
Agriculture is above and beyond
the cultivation of land and rearing
of animals only but includes also
the study of Forestry and Wildlife
Management, Fisheries and
Aquaculture, Food Science and
Technology, Crop Protection and
agricultural Economics and
Extension. As such, Agriculture is
now defined as the production,
processing, marketing, and
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
B.R. Wali
Dept. of Forestry & Wildlife
Bayero University Kano
distribution of all essential food
crops and livestock products, wood
and non-wood products, fisheries
and aqua-cultural products (etc.)
for the use and consumption of the
current generation without
compromising that of the future
generation.
Historically, Agriculture has been
the backbone of Nigeria's
economy. Before the discovery of
crude oil, Agriculture has been the
major source of employment,
revenue and the greatest means of
livelihood in the country. This is in
addition to serving as the major
source of food and raw materials to
industries. Agriculture has a high
significance to the international
trade and promotes foreign
exchange resources.
During the olden days, there are
only three factors of production
which are land, labour and capital.
It was later recognized that the
factors are incomplete without the
risk takers or managers whom are
the entrepreneurs. The programs
that are enshrined in the faculty of
Agriculture were structured in
such a way that at the end of each
program, all students shall
possess the minimum skill set of
becoming entrepreneurs having
the managerial expertise to
create, innovate and/or invent
businesses that shall employ,
provide more job opportunities
through making profits alongside
solving social, economic and
10
environmental challenges. This
means that Agricultural students
are precisely not job seekers but
job providers.
Agricultural graduates, have no
limit in exploring the
opportunities in related
departments as it is the mission of
Bayero University to provide
excellent undergraduate and
graduate programs to produce
high quality human resources
required for the promotion of
development. More so, students
should not bother themselves with
inter-departmental transfers
because at the end of your
respective programs, you all have
the liberty to pursue a
postgraduate program in any of
the departments within the
faculty.
The President of the African
Development Bank once said that
the African food and Agricultural
economy will be worth $1 trillion
by 2030. You are not in the wrong
place as you all are potential
beneficiaries of such liquidated
economy. At this end, you are all
encouraged to utilize your time
wisely as it is the key to success,
students are to shun away from all
examination misconducts by
abiding by the university rules
and regulations, good morals and
ethics should be displayed within
and outside the university campus
as degrees are awarded based on
both learning and character.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 INTRODUCTION TO
HORTICULTURAL CROPS
Introduction
T
he word “Horticulture”
was derived from two
Greek words; “Hortus”
meaning “Garden” and “Cultura”
meaning “Cultivation”.
Horticulture however extends
more than garden cultivation and
involves growing of ornamental
plants, nut trees as well as some
medicinal plants.
Horticulture is defined as “the
branch of crop science the deals
with the production and
management of many crops
specifically fruits, vegetables and
ornamental crops”. It is also
defined as “Also defined as the art
and science of growing fruits,
vegetables, nut trees and
ornamental plants for the use of
man”.
Importance of Horticultural
Crops
l They are sources of food
l They sources of vitamins and
minerals
l They are sources of sugar
l They are sources of income to
farmers
l Some have medicinal value
l Ornamental plants are used
for beautification (aesthetic
value)
l They are used as wreath
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Dr. Aminu A. Fagge
Centre for Dryland Agriculture
Bayero University Kano
They
l modify the micro climate
in an area
They are sources of foreign
l - Leafy Vegetables
exchange to some countries
Serves as symbol of
l
love/affection (e.g. rose flower)
Classes of Horticultural Crops
A. Fruits
l Fruits are matured ovaries of
flowers
l Examples are oranges,
mangoes, guava, pineapples,
apples, banana, etc.
l They are mostly perennial
crops
l Fruits provides sugar,
vitamins and some minerals
l Fruits are harvested by
picking
l They are also harvested
mechanically
l Fruits are usually harvested
when they are ripe
l Care should be taken to
avoiding bruising
B. Vegetables
Are plants
l or crops whose leafy
parts or other part are
harvested and consumed as
food
l They provide essentially
minerals
l They are mostly annual crops
l They are harvested usually in
their fresh or succulent forms
11
They are sub divided in to:
l
- Fruit Vegetables
- Root Vegetables
1. Fruit Vegetables
l Vegetables whose fruits are
harvested and consumed as
food
l Examples are tomatoes,
pepper, okra, chillies, garden
egg, cucumber, water melon,
pumpkin, etc.
l They are harvested by
picking/plucking
l They are also harvested
mechanically
l Fruits vegetables are usually
harvested when they are green
l Care should be taken to
avoiding bruising
2. Leafy Vegetables
l Vegetables whose leafy parts
are consumed
l Examples are lettuce, cabbage,
onion, spinach, bitter leaf, etc.
l They are harvested by
cutting/plucking using
knife/hand
l They are also harvested
mechanically
l Leafy vegetables are usually
harvested when they are green
and succulent
l They should be harvested
timely to avoid their drying
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 INTRODUCTION TO HORTICULTURAL CROPS
2. Root Vegetables
l Are vegetables whose roots are
consumed
l Examples are carrot, radish,
etc.
l They are harvested by
carefully digging them out of
the soil using hoe
l They are also harvested
mechanically
l Root vegetables are harvested
when they are matured
l They should be harvested
timely to avoid their been
damaged by rodents, insects or
pathogens
C. Nut Trees
These
l are plants or crops that
produces nuts and some fleshy
mesocarp
l They also provide minerals
l The nuts are also sources of
important chemical extracts
used in some biochemical
processes
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
They
l are mostly perennial
crops/trees
Example is cashew nut
l maintained by mowing
They are harvested usually in
l
their fresh or succulent forms
D. Ornamental Plants
Are
l plants or crops that are
grown to beautify the
environment
l They are widely used for
landscaping of homes, offices
or sporting areas
l They are mostly perennials
l Example are flowers (e.g. rose,
sunflower, hibiscus, etc.),
grasses (e.g. carpet grass, turf
grass, etc.), shrubs (e.g. yellow
and green bush, bougainvillea,
etc.) and trees (e.g. royal palm,
Umbrella, flamboyant, etc.)
They are harvested usually in
l
their fresh or succulent forms
l The shrubs are mostly used in
making topiaries, standards,
paths and walks
Example of horticultural crops
12
Grasses
l are used in
establishing lawns which
The person that studies
Horticulture is known as a
“Horticulturist”. The study of
Fruits is known as “Pomology”
and the person that studies fruits
production and their management
is called a “Pomologist”. The
study of Vegetables is known as
“Olericulture” and the person
that studies vegetables production
and their management is called a
“Olericulturist”. The study of
flowers is known as
“Floriculture” and the person
that studies flower production and
their management is called a
“Floriculturist”. The person that
take care of flowers, shrubs and
ornamental trees is called a
“Gardener”.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK

GOOD CV AND JOB INTERVIEW TIPS
WHAT IS A CV?
Latin phrase “curriculum vitae”
meaning “course of life” It is a
document used when applying for
jobs.
WHY CV?
It allows you to summarize your
education, skills and experience
enabling you to successfully sell
your abilities to potential
employers.
WHAT SHOULD MY CV
CONTAIN?
1. Contact details:
full name, home address, mobile
number and email address. Your
date of birth is irrelevant and
unless you're applying for an acting
or modelling job you don't need to
include a photograph.
2. Education:
List and date all previous
education, including professional
qualifications. Place the most
recent first. Include qualification
type/grades, and the dates.
3. Work experience:
List your work experience in
reverse date order, making sure
that anything you mention is
relevant to the job you're applying
for. Include your job title, the name
of the company, how long you were
with the organisation and key
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Dr. Yusuf Garba
Centre for Dryland Agriculture
Bayero University Kano
responsibilities. If you have plenty
of relevant work experience, this
section should come before
education.
4. Skills and achievements:
This is where you talk about the
foreign languages you speak and
the IT packages you can
competently use. The key skills
that you list should be relevant to
the job. Don't exaggerate your
abilities, as you'll need to back up
your claims at interview.
5. Interests:
'Socialising', 'going to the cinema'
and 'reading' aren't going to catch a
recruiters attention.
6. References
GUIDE TO A GOOD CV
1. Tailor your CV. Check the
organization's website and social
media accounts, job advert to make
sure your CV is targeted to the role
and employer.
2. Use active verbs when possible.
For example, include words like
'created', 'analysed' and 'devised' to
present yourself as a person who
shows initiative.
3. A good CV doesn't have any
spelling or grammar mistakes. Use
a spell checker and enlist a second
pair of eyes to check over the
document.
13
4. A v o i d g e n e r i c , o v e r - u s e d
phrases such as 'team player',
'hardworking' and 'multitasker'.
Instead, provide real-life examples
that demonstrate all of these skills.
5. Create the right type of CV for
your circumstances. Decide
whether the chronological, skills-
based or academic CV is right for
you.
6. Make sure your email address
sounds professional. If your
personal address is inappropriate
create a new account for
professional use.
7. Don't lie or exaggerate on your
CV or job application. Not only will
you demonstrate your dishonesty
to a potential employer, but there
can be serious consequences too.
COMMON PITFALLS IN CV
1. Poor formatting: CVs that aren't
clear and easy to read are a huge
turn-off for employers. Avoid
confusing layouts, and beware of
using different fonts and sizes.
2. F a i l i n g t o t a i l o r y o u r
application: When it comes to CVs,
one size doesn't fit all. Everything
that you include must be
completely tailored to the company
and role that you're applying for.
3. View your CV as your personal
highlight reel, which contains the
most relevant information for each
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 GOOD CV AND JOB INTERVIEW TIPS
particular job you're applying for.
You might have a master CV with
everything on, but you should tailor
what you send for each application,
especially if you're applying for a
variety of jobs in different sectors.
4. Spelling errors: There are no
excuses for spelling mistakes -even
if English isn't your first language.
An error-free CV is vital in
showcasing your precision and
attention to detail, so check
everything -even your contact
details. Minimize the risk of
making mistakes by taking your
time -never leave writing your CV
to the last minute.
5. While it's important to keep
your CV concise you should also
avoid selling your experience short.
6. To save space only include the
main points of your education and
experience. If you're struggling to
edit your CV ask yourself if certain
information sells you. If it doesn't
cut it out. If it's not relevant to the
job you're applying for delete it and
if it's old detail from ten years ago
summarize it.
7. List everything in reverse
chronological order. Then the
recruiter sees your work history
and most recent achievements
first.
8. Keep it concise by using clear
spacing and bullet points. This type
of CV layout allows potential
employers to skim your CV and
quickly pick out important
information first.
9. Lying: When you're trying to get
a foot in the door and impress
potential employers it's tempting to
be economical with the truth,
because who's going to check,
right?
10. Giving your university grade
a boost, claiming to have attended
university when you haven't, lying
about your current job title won't do
you any favoursin the long run. At
best, your lies will be obvious and
your CV will be rejected out of
hand. At worst, you may be invited
for an interview where you'll either
trip yourself up or be asked
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
questions that you're unable to
answer. What could possibly be
worse than embarrassing yourself
at an interview? Wrong. The facts
on your CV are easy to corroborate
so never assume that recruiters
won't make enquiries to do so.
11. Lack of evidence: It's easy to
make generic, empty statements on
your CV when you're trying to meet
a tight application deadline.
However, failing to effectively
evidence your skills, achievements
and experiences can be a big
mistake.
12. Not explaining 'why': It isn't
enough to just state your
credentials; you need to prove them
by justifying why you've chosen to
undertake certain activities in
terms of your personal and
professional development.
13. Ignoring gaps in your work
history: Gaps in employment
history are fairly common and
rarely a problem as long as they're
explained.
14. You don't need to worry about
gaps of a couple of weeks but if
you've been out of work for months
(or even years) you need to clearly
and concisely explain why. Any
unexplained absences of this
length will be looked upon with
suspicion by potential employer.
15. Don't be afraid or shy to let
recruiters know that you took some
time out to volunteer, look after a
sick relative or travel the world.
There's also no shame in informing
employers of a period spent away
from work due to an illness,
medical condition or redundancy.
DOS AND DON'T
Dos
1. T a i l o r y o u r C V t o e a c h
application.
2. Be honest. Untruths are easy to
uncover and lying on your CV is a
criminal offence.
3. Provide evidence of skills and
experience but remember to keep it
brief.
4. Use the job description to help
form your profile.
14
5. Stick to the word limit.
6. Check for spelling and grammar
mistakes.
7. Read it aloud once you've
finished writing to make sure it
flows. (proof read)
Don't:
1. Include unnecessary personal
information such as your age,
marital status etc. (except where
required e.g nursing mothers)
2. Use slang or jargon.
3. Overuse buzzwords. (simple
direct language)
4. Ramble. Recruiters don't have
time to read through waffle to get to
the point.
JOB INTERVIEW TIPS
1. Be punctual at your interview
2. Do your research on the
organization. (the mission, vision,
goals etc)
3. Don't forget about nonverbal
communication: Are you looking at
your feet? Do you have your arms
crossed? Do you lean on the back of
your chair? Also, employers will be
looking at your appearance and
how you present yourself.
4. Dress sober and clean. Be polite
with everyone.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
Be prepared for your interview: (If
you want to show how serious and
motivated you are about the job,
always bring with you your CV and
credentials. The employer will be
impressed by your organizational
skills!
1. Tell me about yourself. ...
2. Why do you want to work for us?
3. W h a t a r e y o u r s a l a r y
expectations? 4. What are your
greatest strengths and
weaknesses? ...
5. W h a t i s y o u r g r e a t e s t
achievement? ...
6. Do you have any questions for
me/us? ...
7. Where do you see yourself in 5
years? ...
8. Why should we hire you?
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 IMPACT OF CLIMATIC STRESSORS ON
WEST AFRICAN OYSTER FISHERY: IMPLICATION FOR
FOOD SECURITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

1
Dr. R.O. Moruf &
2
1
Dr. C.C. Onwubiko
Dept. of Fisheries & Aquaculture,
Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria
2
Africa Center of Excellence in Coastal Resilience,
University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Abstract
With increasing evidence of the impacts of climate
change on aquatic ecosystems, the resultant
influences on oyster fishery remain neglected in
climate adaptation policies. A comprehensive
internet search of literature using Google and other
search engines. Literatures and personal research
works were analyzed in pros. In Sub-Saharan Africa,
the fishery of the West African Oyster (Crassostrea
tulipa) is envisaged to be heavily affected by climatic
stressors (estuarine temperature, salinity, river flow,
surface run-off, sea level rise, and estuarine
circulation) because the West African coastal region
is highly exposed to these stressors making C. tulipa
to be susceptible and highly sensitive to hydrographic
conditions of its habitat. This, along with the fact
that the organism is sessile and habitat-specific, has
increased its overall vulnerability to very high levels.
Meanwhile, the importance of oyster fishery to
poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa nations is
well documented. However, policymakers do not give
the fisheries sector enough attention. This is mostly
due to the fact that well above half of the oysters
produced in Sub-Saharan Africa are supplied by
artisanal fisheries which are not accounted for in
national statistics and thus their contribution to the
economy and food security remains invisible. The
combined effects of climate change, pollution and
mangrove overharvesting, could further reduce C.
tulipa fishery in the coming decades in Sub-Saharan
Africa. It is therefore advised that sustained
investments in market development, fisheries
governance, scientific research-based strategies, and
the provision of economic incentives are crucial.
Introduction
Aside from their significant contribution to economic
and food security, oysters have several environmental
benefits, including water purification, nitrogen
removal, accelerated denitrification, and excellent
habitat for a variety of juvenile fish and crustaceans.
With increasing evidence of the impacts of climate
change on aquatic ecosystems, the resultant
influences on oyster fishery remain neglected in
climate adaptation policies (Atindana et al., 2020). A
comprehensive internet search of literature using
Google and other search engines, literatures and
personal research works were analyzed in pros and
relevant cited results adopted.
West African mangrove oyster in Sub-Saharan
Africa
The West African mangrove oyster, Crassostrea
tulipa (Plate 1) is a tropical, euryhaline organism that
thrives well at temperatures of 23– 31 °C and can be
cultured well in brackish mangrove swamps and
sheltered aquatic areas of 2 to 5m in depth, and
matures in approximately 7–9 months (Cabral et al.,
2019). C. tulipa is most commonly found in Nigeria
western and southern coastal estuaries and in coastal
areas of the East Atlantic coast of West and Central
Africa.

Keywords: Bivalve fisheries, climate variability,

food security. Plate 1: Crassostrea tulipa

GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4 15 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
IMPACT OF CLIMATIC STRESSORS ON WEST AFRICAN OYSTER FISHERY:
IMPLICATION FOR FOOD SECURITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Impact of Climate Change on West African
mangrove oyster
At the local, regional, and national levels, climate
variability has been identified as the most significant
problem in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly, the
variability in rainfall is enormous, sometimes up to
40–80 %, and increases with decreasing annual
rainfall totals (De Bruijn and van Dijk, 2006).
Although profiling of C. tulipa revealed its ability to
thrive in exceptionally high salinities but high
variability in annual salinity from 0 to approximately
50 ‰ and heavy siltation following monsoonal rains
may cause its mortalities (Nowland et al., 2020). In
Sub-Saharan Africa, the fishery of the West African
Oyster is envisaged to be affected by climatic stressors
(estuarine temperature, salinity, river flow, surface
run-off, sea level rise, and estuarine circulation)
because the West African coastal region is highly
exposed to these stressors making C. tulipa to be
susceptible and highly sensitive to hydrographic
conditions of its habitat (Atindana et al., 2020). This,
along with the fact that the organism is sessile and
habitat-specific, has increased its overall vulnerability
to very high levels
Investing on Climate-Proof Oyster Fisheries
To minimize the potential impacts of climate change
on oyster fisheries and food security and increase the
resilience of many poor fisher communities in Sub-
Saharan Africa, increased and sustained investments
in market development, governance and provision of
economic incentive mechanisms are crucial. According
to Mohammed and Uraguchi (2013), fisheries
conservation in light of climate change means (1)
reducing stress on the already strained fishery
resources (2) allowing fish species to adapt and settle
successfully, and (3) enhancing the adaptive capacity
and resilience of fisher communities.
Combating Food Security in Sub-Saharan
Africa
In Sub-Saharan Africa, fisheries are a source of
employment for around 10 million people and the
main or only source of animal protein for 20 per cent of
the population (Mohammed and Uraguchi, 2013).
Thus, the sector plays a significant role in boosting the
availability of food, thereby tackling risks to food
security in several agrarian and highly food-insecure
countries in the region. Nonetheless, as mentioned
earlier, the sector continues to receive minor attention
by policy makers. Twenty-Nine (29) Sub-Saharan
African nations found that the fisheries sector has
been a significant motor of economic growth or likely
poverty refuge, and yet the sector was effectively
mainstreamed in only three national Poverty
Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) namely: Ghana,
Guinea and Senegal (Thorpe et al., 2004)
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Climate change impacts on fisheries could potentially
affect the four dimensions of food security; availability of
aquatic foods will vary due to changes in habitats, stocks
and species distribution; stability of supply will be
impacted by changes in seasonality, increased variance
in ecosystem productivity and increased supply
variability and risks; access to aquatic foods will be
affected by changes in livelihoods and capture or
farming opportunities; and utilization of aquatic
products will be impacted, for example, some societies
and communities will need to adjust to species not
traditionally consumed.
Sub-Saharan Africa should be given special attention
because
(1) the region is home to more than 300 million
people who live under the poverty line and it is
projected to be inhabited by half of the world's
poor people by 2050;
(2) there is very limited literature on the
potential impacts of climate change on bivalve
fisheries in the region;
(3) existing economic problems limit the capacity
of the countries in the region to adapt to or
insulate themselves from the impacts of
climate change
(4) most of the people who rely on fisheries for
their livelihoods are poor, thereby
contributing to the food security of countries.
References
Atindana, S. A., Fagbola, O., Ajani, E., Alhassan, E. H.
and Ampofo-Yeboah, A. (2020). Coping with climate
variability and non-climate stressors in the West
African Oyster (Crassostrea tulipa) fishery in coastal
Ghana. Maritime studies, 19(1): 81-92.
Cabral, H., Fonseca, V., Sousa, T. and Costa Leal, M.
(2019). Synergistic effects of climate change and
marine pollution: An overlooked interaction in
coastal and estuarine areas. International journal of
environmental research and public health, 16(15):
2737.
De Bruijn, M.E. and van Dijk, J.W.M. (2006). Climate
change and climatic variability in West Africa;
African Studies Centre: Leiden, The Netherlands,
Nowland, S. J., O'Connor, W. A., Osborne, M. W. and
Southgate, P. C. (2020). Current status and potential
of tropical rock oyster aquaculture. Reviews in
Fisheries Science & Aquaculture, 28(1): 57-70.
Mohammed, E.Y. and Uraguchi, Z.B. (2013). Impacts of
climate change on fisheries: Implications for food
security in Sub-Saharan. Africa. In Global Food
Security; Hanjra, M.A., Ed.; Nova Science Publishers
Inc.: Hauppauge, NY, USA. pp. 114–135.
Thorpe, A. Reid, C. van Anrooy, R. and Brugere, C.
(2005). When fisheries influence national policy-
making: an analysis of the national development
strategies of major fish-producing nations in the
developing world. Marine Policy, 29: 211–222.
16 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 Dr. Yusuf Garba
Centre for Dryland Agriculture
Bayero University Kano

EXPECTATIONS ON ACADEMIC PURSUITS

Step 1: Set Goals lDo assigned readings before class- you'll take
Goals help to keep you going by:
l better notes
Providing direction
l lAsk questions: this will enhance your learning
Increasing your attention and focus
l process
Increasing your motivation and effort
l lSit in the first few rows - you'll pay closer
Reducing
l your anxiety and increasing your attention
confidence
NOTE: Develop SMART goals that are: Specific, Step 6: Read your Lecture Notes
Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely lTake notes in class
lReview and edit notes after class (within 24
Step 2: Have a Positive Attitude hours)
l Be positive about your ability to succeed lAim for 3-4 major reviews of your notes before
l Look forward to what you will learn exams
l Have an inquiring mind: get curious about your lHighlight important points, draw diagrams or
subjects sketches, make definitions

Step 3: Manage Your Time Step 7: Prepare for Examinations

lSet a realistic schedule for yourself
lKnow where your time goes (awareness is key)
lStudy for 2-3 hours for every hour of class time
(eg. if you have 6 hours of class per week, aim to
study at least 12-18 hours per week).
Step 4: Read Books & Course Readings (Handouts,
lecture notes, etc)
l Survey chapters before reading; read the
chapter summary, look for bold and italicized
words to indicate important concepts
l Review topics and readings before class
l Re-read topics covered and readings after class
l Make study notes
Step 5: Attend your Lectures
lIntend to learn something each class you attend
l Review past examinations question papers
l Make practice study questions
l Memorize definitions and formulae - try cue
cards
l Know the type of examination to expect
l Eat balanced meals and sleep 8 hours per night
Step 8: Write Your Examinations
lHave a positive attitude; do your best (within the
confines of the law)
lArrive early with an extra pen and any
necessary supplies (e.g., calculator if permitted -
with fresh batteries)
lRead test and examinations questions and
instructions very clearly
lBudget your time; leave time for review
lRelax and don't forget to breathe

GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4 17 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 “Agriculture is the ? rst thing that
welcomes you to Kano State”
Excerpts from An
Interview with
Ibrahim Garba
Muhammad, Project
coordinator, KSADP
A brief of the KSADP project?
K
SADP means Kano State
A g r o P a s t o r a l
Development Project.
From the word agro pastoral, it
refers to crops and livestock. The
project is being financed by the
Islamic Development Bank and
the Lives and Livelihood
Foundation (LLF). It is a 5 year
$95,000,000 project that is being
implemented across the state with
over 1,260,000 direct
beneficiaries. The aim of the
project is to develop the agro
pastoral production system in the
state. Direct investments are
being made in the development of
grazing reserves, crop production
and in the value chain.
What are some of the strives
the KSADP project is making
to transform Kano's
agriculture?
The state has over 100 grazing
reserves, where the project
selected 1 at Dansoshiya to put in
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Ibrahim Garba Muhammad
Project Coordinator, Kano State Agro
Pastoral Development Project (KSADP)
infrastructure and develop fodder.
We have awarded a contract of
over ? 2,500,000,000 for the
development of Dansoshiya
grazing reserve where we are
constructing the needed
infrastructure for the pastoralist
to settle there. They include the
mosque, the school, the markets,
the veterinary clinic, the dam,
network of roads and perimeter
fencing of about 25 km where we
are going to develop the fodder. In
addition, , we have allocated funds
for training and coaching livestock
farmers in the region to improve
how they raise their animals by
transitioning from what we refer
to as socio-cultural management
of their cattle and other livestock
to socio-economic means of rearing
their animals.
We have also constructed 10 straw
transformation centers in 10
LGAs and have procured the
inputs and equipment for the
operationalisation of the centers.
is left. We will now recruit 1,000
unemployed youths and
financially assist them to start
transforming farm waste into
livestock feed. We are about to
engage 5,000 youths to support
them with cash and input where
each youth is expected to produce
1 hectare of fodder. The plan is to
18
make feed available for the
livestock. Lasts year, we recruited
220 unemployed youths, who had
studied animal science or animal
production and trained them, and
split them into zonal offices of
ministries of agriculture, gave
them equipment and drugs and
starting capital to go and make a
living independent of direct
reliance on government. These
youths are now rendering services
of paravets on the ground and
assisting the project during the
vaccination exercise. Under the
design of the project, all the
aspects of the crops are being
handled by Sasakawa an iNGO
and KNARDA, an ADP.
Sassakawa supports 450,000
direct farmers where we
earmarked ? 8,000,000,000 for
them to support Kano state
farmers. KNARDA supported
7,000 unemployed youths through
various means which includes
contact spraying, mechanization,
especially from the women where
women were trained on income
generation through KNARDA
women agricultural unit of the
ADP. Sasakawa has also
supported over 2,000 youths
through various means of
engagement and training and
with empowering packages viz a
viz rice, millet, threshers,
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 EXCERPTS FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH
IBRAHIM GARBA MUHAMMAD, PROJECT COORDINATOR, KSADP
sprayers, and many others. This
project has in its way supported
and is supporting the unemployed
youths. Currently, we are
supporting 4,400 youths, women
and elderly people with a
fattening package where each
beneficiary is given 2 cattle and
with his counterparts, 4, and the
project will provide feed and drugs
for free, and under that scheme,
the project is supporting 750 kano
state indigenes in the areas of
cattle fattening. We are also
supporting 1,250 indigenes in the
areas of ram fattening where each
beneficiary is entitled to 10 rams,
5 free from the project, and the
feed and drugs. We are also
supporting another set of 2,400
people, mostly women with
reproduction schemes through
giving them goats where each
beneficiary is entitled to 4 female
goats and 1 male goat free. We are
on a lot of activities in
infrastructure as well, as we have
awarded a contract of over
? 600,000,000 for the
improvement of 5 major cattle
markets which include that of
Dambatta, Dumbulu in
Tsanyawa, Getso in Gwarzo,
Falgore in Doguwa and Wudil in
Wudil.We have also awarded a
contract for upgrading about 20
slaughterhouses to the tune of
? 1,800,000,000. We plan to
construct 200 milk collection
centers in Kano state, in 2023,
where we have awarded the
construction of 40. We have also
made major repair work on our
irrigation scheme at Watari in
Bagwai LGA that was constructed
over 40 years ago. We have also
been able to vaccinate over 1.5
million cows and over 1.3 million
ruminants and also established a
reference lab at Gwale. The states
has a non functional artificial
insemination center that has been
in existence for over 30 years, but
the project has repaired and
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
upgraded to the center, and also
procured the AI bulls that will be
used to collect the semen and
Artificial Insemination will
commence in the next few months
where we plan to inseminate at
least 25,000 cows annually. In the
areas of value addition, we are
looking at our major grass
markets like Dawanau, where we
will develop the market in areas
including the construction of a
mosque, conference hall,
information centre, toilets, police
outpost, the road networks,
drainages, and many other
infrastructure, and we will invest
millions in training the grain
handlers in line with the call of the
federal government of zero
rejection of our produce. The
project will also establish 20
aggregation centers where
farmers can sell with the luxury of
time and the dealer will go to his
community.
When is the KSADP expected
to end?
The project became effective in
2019 and was officially launched
in February 2020 and was
supposed to run from 2019 - 2024,
however, the stall from Covid
affected the procurement and
implementation of the project, so
the project is expected to run till
2025.
What is the involvement of the
Kano State Government in the
KSADP project?
KSADP and the Kano State
Government are the same thing.
The Kano state government
approached the Islamic
development bank where His
Excellency, the executive
governor and his deputy went to
Jeddah over 5 times to discuss
with the officials of the Islamic
development bank to give a credit
facility to the state. It is a state
government owned project while
the Islamic development bank and
19
its partners financed the project to
a tune of $90,000,000, with the
Kano State government giving its
own counterpart funding of
$5,000,000 making it a
$95,000,000 project. However,
10% of the total sum of the amount
is a grant from the Lives and
Livelihood funds. It is a loan with
a long payment period and long
term benefits attached with a
grant component.
How does the KSADP project
ensure sustainability of its
implementation to continue
providing benefits after its
lifespan?
All our implementation strategy is
attached to sustainability plans.
Kano state agricultural rural
development authority is a
government agency, and we
funded them to support farmers
through service delivery. We also
supported Sasakawa to support
farmer extension delivery. When
the project rounds up, these two
parastatals will not get funds to
continue their service delivery,
but part of their implementation
strategy is the use of a
“community based farmer
facilitator”. In each community
they operate, they select a
community member to train him
to take the responsibility of an
extension worker, where the
project supports them with
allowances to deliver extension
services to their community
members. When the project closes
up, the already created
community based power
facilitator will serve as an
extension worker for their
community for the farming
problems arising. For other
infrastructure like the Dansoye
grazing reserve, we will form the
grazing reserve management
committee, whose responsibility
will be to come up with strategies
to maintain the structure. Also, for
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 EXCERPTS FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH
IBRAHIM GARBA MUHAMMAD, PROJECT COORDINATOR, KSADP
the milk collection centres, there
will be a milk collection
Management committee, to record
and generate revenue while
reducing cash transactions in the
milk collection centres.
How has the KSADP project
i m p r o v e d c l i m a t e
sustainability in its plan and
implementation?
We are very mindful of
environmental impacts in all our
plans, so we look at the
environment, and we design our
interventions to reduce the issue
of climate. For example, this farm
waste animal feed will utilize
waste and eliminate the practice
of burning the straws from rice
production which affects the soil
organisms and increasing the
depletion of the ozone layer. For
all our crop interventions, we
practice regenerative agriculture
which are all deliberate attempts
to address the issue of climate.
One of the Irrigation farming projects in Kano State
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
What are some of the
existential opportunities for
students studying agriculture
in the KSADP project?
The opportunities are present and
long term where the project is
aimed at enticing the youth to go
into agribusiness. By developing
the value chain, we are providing
opportunities for the youths. For
instance,by establishing 200 milk
collection centers, there are
opportunities for establishing
milk processing plants and young
people can facilitate sales of milk
to companies from the collection
centers. The fura da nono
association currently employs a
large number of graduates, which
is why we have granted a contract
to upgrade the Kofar Wambai fura
da nono market, build milk
collecting storage facilities,
procured cooling systems, and
provided the youth and women
with fura da nono processing
equipment.
20
What advice do you have for
students studying agriculture
and people starting in the
field?
Consider the study of agriculture a
business, and not a means of
getting a white collar job. The
school demo is not a lab so you
have to be practical if you are
reading agriculture, and practice
what you learn as a student. After
graduation, your knowledge and
experience will advance you.
Graduates and students can also
enter the agro inputs sector,
where they can help farmers make
more informed decisions and
purchases as they have the
knowledge. The future of this
country relies on agriculture
where ICT and agriculture will be
the next booming sector.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 FISH PROCESSING

Dr. V.F Akinjogunla

Dept. of Fisheries & Aquaculture
Bayero University Kano

1.0. Introduction 1.1 Characteristics of fresh fish

Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural aquatic (fish) 1. Eyes are bulging, clear, full and bright.
2. Gills are red and covered with clear shine.
resources in marine, estuarine and fresh water
3. Odor is sea water smell, not foul.
environment (Ayanwale et al., 2013). Fishes are cheap
4. Flesh is firm and elastic.
sources of proteins (Williams et al., 1998; Akinjogunla 5. Scales are complex, shiny and intact.
et al., 2021) of many people, particularly in the 6. Color is bright and shiny.
developing countries and also serve as important by- 7. Belly walls are undamaged
products for exportation in many regions of the world
(Bhatnagar and Devi, 2013). 2.0. Various forms of fin and Shell fishes
2.1. Market forms of fin fish
Fishes are known generally to exhibit diversity in size, A). Whole fish – are sold in the market fresh and
shape, biology and in the habitats they occupy. There sometimes alive.
are 798 species of fish recorded in Nigeria of which 316
are found in freshwater and 482 species in brackish
water (Olaosebikan and Raji, 2013). Fishes such as
(tilapia, croaker, catfishes, tuna, sardinella, etc.) and
shellfishes (oysters, periwinkles, snails, clams, crabs,
prawns, shrimps, etc.) have been found to contain high
B). Drawn/ Dressed fish – The fish is whole but it
level of macro- minerals and trace elements such as scales, fins, guts, head and gills are removed
copper, iron, zinc and manganese but low in fat and
cholesterol which makes them healthy choices of diet to
the general population at large (Martino and Gracinda,
2004; Chukwuemeka, 2008).

Major parts of a Fish

C). Steaks – are slices cut horizontally form a large fish

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Magazine | Vol.4 21 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
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 FISH PROCESSING

D). Fillet – is the boneless form of fish C). Shucked Shellfish (Oysters)

E). Fish sticks – are cut evenly from large slabs of D). Headless shellfish (Prawns / Crayfish)
frozen fillets

E). Cooked shellfish

F). Butterfly fish – is done by slicing a whole fish
lengthwise to remove its backbone and ribs

2.2. Market form of shell fishes

3.0. Post- Harvest Loss
A). Live Shellfish (Freshwater Clams)
The most common chemical action that causes
spoilage is when oxygen in the air attack
unsaturated oils in fish causing rancidity
This could be categorize d into three ways namely:
a) Physical losses: complete loss of fish (gross
physical losses) or loss of some pieces / parts
of the fish (net physical losses).
b) Economic losses: fishermen at loss
because of spoilage due to various reasons
like lack of preservation facilities, poor
handling or access to good roads from the
B). Whole Shellfish (Scallops)
villages to the cities.
c) Nutritional losses: this could be due to
exposure to high temperature during
smoking, frying, etc

3.1. Criteria for fish spoilage (rancidity)

• Fatty fish spoil faster than bony fish
• Small fish decay faster that large fish

GREEN FOCUS
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 FISH PROCESSING

• Cold water fish spoil faster than warm water

fish
• Bacteria are also present in the external
slime, on gills, and in the interiors of fish.

4.0. Fish Processing

This is associated with fish and fish products
between the time fish are caught or harvested and
the time the final product is delivered to the
customer. It is also a way of preserving fish and at
the same time improving their quality in terms of
taste, texture and appearances. Containers for
conveying freshly harvested fish should be clean to
prevent contamination of the fish.
Note: Fish Processing and Fish Preservation can be
used interchangeable but from definition, they are
different.
4.1. Fish Preservation
This is the use of methods that endeavour to keep the
fish in a fresh state so that the changes in texture,
taste and appearance are minimized. The essence of
preservation is to expel water from fish flesh or
retain fish flesh in fresh form. Preservation
maintains the quality of fresh fish for a longer period
of time. Fish preservation is the method of extending
the shelf life of fish by applying the principles of
drying (smoke or sun-drying), freezing or cold
storing in order to improve the quality of the
products.
Fishes that can be processed are:
>> Fin fish – catfish, tilapia and other
freshwater fish.
5.0. Post-Harvest Processing of Fish
5.1. Drying / Dehydrating:
— It is one of the oldest and most widely used
methods of preservation.
— It is based on the principle that reduction or
complete removal will retard microbial and
autolytic activities.
— The removal of water from the body of the
fish is with the help of an input of thermal
energy.
Drying is based on the principle that reduction in the
water content or its complete removal will
proportionally retard or totally stop all microbial and
autolytic activities, thus preventing spoilage and
resulting in preservation.
Drying is the process in which moisture is removed
by exposure to natural air current as humidity is
regulated by climatic condition while Dehydration
is the process of removing moisture with the use of
mechanical device that provides artificial heat for
drying.

>> Shell fish

– Mollus(c)ks: (scallops, clams, oysters and
mussels).
– Crustaceans: (shrimps, lobsters and
crabs). Fish sun-drying

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Magazine | Vol.4 23 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
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 FISH PROCESSING

5.2. Smoking 5.3. Frying

— This is the method of preserving fish by Fried fish is any fish or shellfish that has been
applying smoke with the aid of salting, prepared by frying. Often, the fish is covered in batter,
drying and heat treatment. egg and breadcrumbs, flour or herbs and spices before
— Fish may be smoked whole or after splitting being fried and served, often with a slice of lemon.
and gutting, depending on the end product
desired.
— The guts, gills and kidneys are completely
removed because these are the areas where
spoilage can take place quickly and can
affect the overall quality of the end product.

5.4. Freezing
— This is when the product is brought in contact
with refrigerated air or refrigerated surfaces in
a compartment.
— Freezing works on the principle that lowering
the temperature reduces the chemical and
Charcoal or Gas fish smoking kiln enzymatic reactions and lowers the rate of
spoilage.
Note: this is different from chilling. Chilling is when ice
cubes are placed on the fish as a cooling medium for
fresh fish.

Locally fabricated smoking chamber

Fish freezer blaster Chilling fish with ice cubes

5.5. Salt Curing / Brining

• Salt is the preservative agent used to lengthen
the shelf life of fish and fishery products.
• This is used in almost all methods of
Electric smoking kiln
preservation except in icing, refrigeration and
freezing.

Electric smoking kilns Brined fish fillets

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Magazine | Vol.4 24 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 FISH PROCESSING

5.6. Canning — This involved all processes of fish

— This is the process involving heat treatment preparation such as gutting, descaling and
of fish in sealed containers made of tin to some extent formation of fillet before
plates, Ziplocs, aluminum cans or glass until canning.
the products has been fully sterilized.

Canned fish products

Conclusion accessories as well as consultancy. A fish processor

The culture fish in Nigeria along the value chain has therefore, has the onerous task of ensuring that fish
a vast opportunity, Nigeria has an unsaturated and fish products meet the set standards of the
demand for fish products because of its high consumers.
nutritive values and roles it plays in human
nutrition. Opportunities exist for profitable ***Photos credit:
investment along the chain in the areas of Wikipedia
production, processing, marketing, supply of inputs, Rilwanu Umar PhD
export to neighboring countries, packaging Personal Comms.

GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4 25 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 IMPACT OF CLIMATIC CHANGE
ON FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA
Abstract:
C
limate change is a global
phenomenon that is having
significant impacts on the
availability and accessibility of
food in many countries around the
world, including Nigeria. The
impacts of climate change on food
security in Nigeria are diverse and
complex, and include changes in
temperature, precipitation, and
extreme weather events such as
droughts and floods. These
changes have the potential to
affect the production, distribution,
and consumption of food in
Nigeria, which can ultimately lead
to food insecurity for vulnerable
populations. In this review, we
summarize the current state of
knowledge on the impact of
climate change on food security in
Nigeria, including the main
drivers of these impacts, the
pathways through which they
occur, and the potential
consequences for food security in
the country. We also discuss the
potential adaptation strategies
that could be employed to mitigate
these impacts and improve food
security in Nigeria.
Introduction
Food security is defined as the
availability and accessibility of
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Abdullahi Ishaq Shehu
Dept. of Forestry, Fisheries & Wildlife
Kano State University of Science
& Technology, Wudil
sufficient, safe, and nutritious
food to meet the dietary needs of
individuals and their families. It
is a complex and multi-
dimensional concept that
involves the production,
distribution, and consumption of
food, as well as the social,
economic, and environmental
factors that influence these
processes. Climate change is one
of the key factors that can affect
food security, as it has the
potential to alter the availability
and accessibility of food through
changes in temperature,
precipitation, and extreme
weather events.
Nigeria is a large and populous
country located in West Africa
that is heavily reliant on
agriculture for its food supply.
The country is vulnerable to
climate change impacts due to its
largely agricultural economy, its
reliance on rain-fed agriculture,
and its exposure to extreme
weather events such as droughts
and floods. In recent years,
Nigeria has experienced a
number of climatic changes that
have had significant impacts on
its food security, including rising
temperatures, changing rainfall
patterns, and increased
frequency and intensity of
extreme weather events.
26
Literature Review
There have been a number of
studies conducted on the impact of
climate change on food security in
Nigeria. These studies have
generally found that climate
change is having a negative
impact on food security in the
country, although the extent and
severity of these impacts vary
across different regions and
sectors.
One of the main ways in which
climate change is affecting food
security in Nigeria is through
changes in temperature and
precipitation. Higher
temperatures can lead to reduced
crop yields, particularly for staple
crops such as cassava and maize,
as well as increased water stress
and soil degradation. Changes in
precipitation, including increased
variability and extremes such as
droughts and floods, can also have
negative impacts on crop
production, as well as on the
availability of water for irrigation
and other uses.
In addition to direct impacts on
crop production, climate change
can also affect food security
through its impacts on other
sectors such as livestock
production and fisheries. Higher
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
IMPACT OF CLIMATIC CHANGE ON FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA
temperatures and changes in
rainfall patterns can affect the
availability and quality of pasture
and water for livestock, while
changes in ocean temperature and
acidification can impact the
productivity and distribution of
marine resources.
The impacts of climate change on
food security in Nigeria are not
evenly distributed, and some
groups are more vulnerable than
others. Smallholder farmers, who
make up the majority of
agricultural producers in the
country, are particularly
vulnerable to the impacts of
climate change due to their
limited resources and access to
technology and information.
Women, who make up a
significant portion of the
agricultural workforce in Nigeria,
are also particularly vulnerable
due to their limited access to
resources and decision-making
power.
STRATEGIES THAT COULD
BE EMPLOYED TO
MITIGATE THESE IMPACTS
AND IMPROVE FOOD
SECURITY IN NIGERIA
There are several potential
adaptation strategies that could
be employed to mitigate the
impacts of climate change on food
security in Nigeria. These
strategies can be classified into
three main categories:
TECHNICAL STRATEGIES
INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGIES
SOCIAL STRATEGIES
Technical Strategies: involve
the use of technologies and
practices that can help to mitigate
the impacts of climate change on
food security.
These strategies include:
1. Improved crop and livestock
management practices, such as
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
the use of drought-tolerant or
flood-resistant varieties,
irrigation systems, and water
harvesting techniques.
2. Adaptive agro-forestry systems,
which can help to increase soil
fertility, reduce erosion, and
improve water retention.
3. The use of climate-smart
agriculture technologies, such as
precision agriculture and climate-
resilient infrastructure, to
increase the efficiency and
sustainability of agricultural
production.
4. The use of green infrastructure,
such as green roofs and permeable
pavement, to reduce the impacts of
extreme weather events.
Institutional strategies:
involve changes to policies, laws,
and institutions that can help to
enhance the resilience of food
systems to climate change. These
strategies include:
l The development and
implementation of policies
and laws that support the
a d op t ion of clim a t e-
resilient practices and
technologies.
l The establishment of
insurance and risk
management systems to
protect farmers and other
stakeholders from the
impacts of extreme
weather events.
l The development of early
warning systems and
emergency response
mechanisms to prepare
for and respond to
extreme weather events.
l The strengthening of
institutions and networks
that can facilitate the
sharing of information
and knowledge related to
27
climate change
adaptation and food
security.
Social strategies: involve the
engagement and empowerment of
local communities and
stakeholders in the development
and implementation of adaptation
strategies. These strategies
include:
l The promotion of
community-based
adaptation approaches
that involve the
participation of local
communities in the
identification and
prioritization of
adaptation needs.
l The development of social
protection programs to
support vulnerable
groups, such as
smallholder farmers,
during times of food
insecurity.
l The promotion of
education and awareness-
raising campaigns to
increase understanding of
climate change and its
impacts on food security,
and to encourage the
adoption of adaptive
practices.
Conclusion
It is important to note that the
effectiveness of these adaptation
strategies will depend on a
number of factors, including the
availability of resources, the level
of political commitment, and the
capacity of local communities and
institutions to implement and
sustain these strategies over time.
Climatic crises is a human crises
therefore it's a duty of every
individual to stands and advocate
on climate change.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 NUMBERS

Alee Lawan
Bayero University Kano

There's a whole lot of history They infiltrated our kingdom to know

About how numbers were born Just how much I was willing to give up
From the first man To call you my home
To the Egyptians
To the Greeks And so counting started
And Indians One… Two… Three…
From an empirical effort to quantify All the way to infinity
To the natural instinct to contain Because infinity is just numbers
Telling us that they have given up trying
They say counted started To quantify how much we love each other
With the Sumerians That they are done seeking for ways to contain
Then the Babylonians The sound of our heartbeats in one universe
But long before then They made shapes to trap us in
Your heart and mine Sounds to lure us with
Were counted as one Devices like computers
Our names were merged Binoculars and telescopes
Possessions we never knew we had To see just how far we'd go
Memories we never knew we'd make
Long before Babylon They grew hands
You and I And tried to grab us
Gave life to numbers One long
One short
Neither of them strong enough
There's a whole lot of articles To break our fort
About where the river of numbers ends
Kind of like the Nile before geography Time was a prison
And they stole something of ours And we were fugitives
And called it infinity
Because long before the Nile In the end they let us be
Long before Caesar and This thing they called infinity
Cleopatra And put dots in-between
Numbers tried to wrap themselves To remind them of their failure
Around the basket of my feelings Of the grounds they never walked
They tried to multiply enough And the skies they never touched
To equal my heartbeats whenever I saw To remind them of our hearts
The sun setting in the pool of your eyes Two… yet one
Long before Rome One… yet infinite.

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Magazine | Vol.4 28 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 RESEARCH PAPER
WRITING PROCESS

Dr. A.A. Adnan

Department of Agronomy
Bayero University Kano

9. Read Articles

T
he purpose of this paper is
10. Preliminary Thesis
to identify and examine
11. Outline
the components essential 12. Draft Paper
to planning and executing 13. Revise Paper
university-level research writing 14. Sources of Help
assignments (thesis).
Project Clarification:
At the end of this presentation, 1. Read the details of the project
participants will be able to: carefully.
1. Identify and conceptualize the 2. U n d e r l i n e d i r e c t i o n a l
essential steps in the research statements: define, identify, Topic Selection
paper writing process; analyze, argue, etc. 1. Previous knowledge
2. Access valuable resources to 3. Underline due dates. 2. Course content
help at various stages of the 4. Identify evaluation criteria. 3. Personal or professional
writing process; experience/interests
5. Ask questions.
4. Trends in the news
3. Use time management
strategies to plan for the
successful and timely completion
of a research paper/project.

Research paper writing is

divided into:
1. Prewriting
2. Writing
3. Post-writing

RESEARCH PAPER WRITING

PROCESS
1. Project Clarification Time Management
2. Time Management 1. Write down all due dates.
Topic Selection
3. Topic Selection 2. Break down the research
4. Topic Brainstorm 1. Ask questions: who, what,
process into steps.
5. Library Visit where, when, why.
6. Locate/Select Sources 3. Assign a due date for each step.
7. Survey Sources 4. Make weekly and daily What is it similar to or different
8. Topic Focus priority lists. from; what are the causes; what

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Magazine | Vol.4 29 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
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 RESEARCH PAPER WRITING PROCESS
are the consequences; what is the
essential function; what are the
definitions; what is the history;
what is the present status; what
case can be made for or against it;
how did it happen; why did it
happen; what is my personal
reaction to it?
2. Identify subtopics
Brainstorming Strategies
What is it?
l A gathering of ideas from
your brain onto paper
l the variety of ideas and
the use of your
imagination to assist you
in producing a lot of
material with which to
work.
Why do you need it?
l It is the best way to collect
your thoughts
l It is helpful for
organization
l It ensures only quality
ideas are used in the paper
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Library Visit
1. Browse the University,
F a c u l t y , a n d
Departmental, Libraries
(including project
records).
2. Tour the library and
internet.
3. Meet with a reference
librarians, you will be
surprised.
4. Learn the difference
between scholarly
journals, textbooks,
research bulletins and
other periodicals.
5. Locate sources.
Survey Sources
1. Read abstracts, headings
and subheadings.
2. Make note of charts,
statistics, graphs.
3. Read the reference lists.
4. Read introductory and
summary paragraphs.
5. Skim body.
Topic Focus
Go back to your original subject
and focus it further based upon the
information you gleaned during
the text survey activities.
30
Read
Read once-Read write!
Take notes as you read: Develop a
system of underlining, marking,
and/or paraphrasing in the
margins that is meaningful to you.
Discovering a Preliminary
Thesis
Form a thesis topic or question that
will guide the rest of your research
and writing.
Focused Topic + Assertion = Thesis
Topic: Environmental issue
connected to global warming
Focused Topic: coal fires
Thesis Question: How prevalent are
coal fires? In what ways do coal fires
contribute to global warming?
What proof is there that coal fires in
fact contribute to global warming?
Thesis Title: “Raging in mines from
Pennsylvania to China, coal fires
threaten towns, poison air and
water, and add to global
warming (Hacker, 2007, p. 10).”
Topic: Appropriate fertilizer
use in tropical soils
Focused Topic: Organic and
Inorganic fertilizer requirements
for Kenaf.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 RESEARCH PAPER WRITING PROCESS
Thesis Question: What is
l Family — who & what?
the existing fertilizer
recommendation for Kenaf?
Can it be provided by
organic fertilizers only? Is it
more appropriate to use a
mixture? Is the organic or
inorganic fertilization more
profitable?
Thesis Topic: “Fertilizer
l Specific Examples
requirements for Kenaf in
the dry Savannas: An
evaluation of organic and
inorganic fertilizer sources.”
Topic: Technology and
consumerism
l Focused Topic: the way
television impacted
consumerism within the
nuclear family from the mid
50's to the early 60's
l Thesis Question: How did
television target nuclear
families and promote
specific consumer habits
and values?
l Thesis Statement:
Television programs and
advertisements during the
1950's promoted consumer
habits that promised to
support domestic happiness
within the nuclear family.
Outline
1. Make a list of the main
points. These points will form
the organizational pattern of
your paper.
2. Make special note of concepts
from your sources that you
wish to paraphrase in your
text.
3. Draft an outline, moving
from main ideas to details.
4. Revise thesis as needed.
Thesis: Television programs and
advertisements during the 1950's
promoted consumer habits that
promised to support domestic
happiness while strictly defining
gender roles within the nuclear
family.
i) Introduction: Background and
statistics on television viewing habits
as well as numbers of televisions
purchased. Lead to thesis.
ii) Point #1: Who: The Nuclear
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
A. Members
B. Gender Roles
1. Male adults and children
2. Female adults and children
C. Values
1. Home
2. Convenience
3. Prosperity
iii) Point #2: Television Shows--
A. Gender Roles & Expectations
B. Family Values
1. Home
2. Prosperity
3. Ideal Consumer Habits that
help maintain status quo
regarding gender
iv) Commercials:
Specific Examples
A. Gender Roles
B. Promoting Consumer
Patterns = happiness
v) Conclusions
Draft
1. Begin to write in chunks of
text defined by the
parameters of each main
point.
2. Continuously refer to the
thesis in order to stay on
track. Use key terms from
the thesis to thread each
section together.
3. Integrate information from
sources as you draft, and
citations.
4. Move from point to point
rather than from author to
author.
Integrating Sources
- Research papers demand
abundant reference to
professional sources.
- Your research paper will be
generously populated with
the voices of the published
experts.
- Your job is to manage those
voices, to synthesize them, to
use them to substantiate your
claim.
Do NOT plagiarize
Use a variety of lead-ins to introduce
concepts or findings from researchers:
1. According to Smith (2001),
the presence of a television set
in the home even changed
eating habits; frozen TV
dinners, TV trays, and TV
tables altered the physical
and social contexts of family
meals.
31
2. By the early 1960's, “90
percent of all households had
at least one television set”
(Bishop & Marx, 2006, p. 2).
3. Television programs and
commercials reinforced rigid
gender roles and promised
consumers material wealth if
they could fit the roles. One
social critic from the era
remarked that “television
certainly nurtured both
consumerism and conformity”
(Cole, 1966, p. 24).
Revision Checklist
1. Reread the assignment sheet.
2. Underline your thesis.
3. Read aloud.
4. Label the topic of each
paragraph in the margin.
5. Revise main ideas; consider
clarity and relevance.
6. Revise details; consider
clarity and relevance.
7. Check for cohesion.
8. Check documentation format.
9. C h e c k g r a m m a r ,
punctuation, word choice,
spelling.
Sources of Help
1. Your Supervisors/ Lecturers
2. Librarians
3. Writing Tutors
4. Content Tutors
5. Models of Successful
Research Papers/Thesis
6. Senior Colleagues
• For most students, thesis
and papers are ways of
reporting findings of
research, surveys etc.
• Some are reviews and
summaries of existing
literature
• The purpose of your work
will determine your writing
• Let references guide, not
serve as ways of copying
content, style or outputs
• Create your own style and
approach to writing
Remember, there'll always be good
writers…but the world has never
seen a perfect writer!!!
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 AGRARIAN REVOLUTION
OF THE 20TH CENTURY
N
owadays, Agriculture has
became a vast field of
profession which involves
the application of information
technology and advanced
technology and currently artificial
intelligent in a farm after the
passing of the ancient agriculture.
Starting with the ancient
agriculture which includes the use
of local hand tools i.e. hoe, cutlass,
rake, pork and many more. The
process consume huge labour and
waste of time and energy. But the
influence of technology helps in
eradicating ancient process and
involving the modern agriculture
that consists mechanisation
which brings the use of
mechanical instruments and
machinery like tractors,
sprinklers, harvesters and
planter, but some of the machines
are manual while some are
automatic, but now a days higher
technology advancement brings
about artificial intelligent and
information technology.
Furthermore, the artificial
intelligent and information
technology consist of uncountable
computers, automated machines
such as vertical farming
(Aerophonics & hydrophonics),
robotics, green house,
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Mujahiddeen Ali
Level 100, Faculty of Agriculture
Bayero University Kano
temperature and moisture
sensors, aerial imaging, Gps
technology which are cumulated
as farm automations.
In an advanced countries were
they does not have a fertile soil,
vertical farming are mostly used,
the vertical farming comprises of a
structure which are erected and
the plants are arranged in a
hollow pipes and containers
containing the substance that
plants need like urea, nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, and
calcium.
32
I know that many people will
be surprise with seeing a robot
in a farm, robot are of many
type not only a humanoid robot
which are look like a human
being, there are many types of
robot like autonomous,
teleperated, augmenting and,
industrial robot etc. The
Autonomous robots are the
most used in farm and
industries which transform
your farm to be automated
farm. They can perform some
task like temperature and
moisture sensoring, watering,
planting, cultivation, and
even cctv for surveillance.
So now agrarian revolution
has come to this decade, we no
longer need to suffocate
ourselves doing local farming
any more.
Finally, the 20th century
Agriculture helps the world by
providing a smart farm,
control, monitoring and
planning. I hope our people
will be welcome with the
modern and integrated
farming, I am quite sure that
the process will improve our
agricultural farming system
to provide 100 %food security
and economic development.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 FLOODING AND THE "NUISANCE"
EXPORTATION OF FARM PRODUCTS
N
igeria is a large country
with very large
population. Feeding the
200 million people and conserving
our environment is a great
challenge facing our farmers and
the Government.
More than 80% of Nigeria's
farmers are smallholder farmers
(SHFs). The agricultural sector
remains the largest employer in
Nigeria, employing more than
36% labor force. Still Nigerians
suffer for hunger, why?
Only about N40 billion was
earmarked by the government for
agricultural research and
development (R&D) in 2019.
Agriculture budget represents
1.8% (or N183 billion) of the total
2020 budget size. This
significantly falls short of the 10%
specified by Maputo Declaration.
Nigeria's government doesn't
show much and concerned care to
Agricultural sector.
In recent times, Nigeria has
recorded an increase in its rice
production. In 2020, according to
the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) of the United
Nations, the country produced
5.45 million metric tonnes of rice.
An increase of 147.79% from its
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Abubakar A. Adam
Department of Soil Science
Bayero University Kano
2.20 million metric tonnes
production in 2000. While Nigeria
currently leads as the largest
producer of rice in Africa and 14th
in the world, available data
reveals the country still hasn't met
its domestic rice demand or
consumption. Simply put, the
amount of rice the country
produces is not enough to meet
local consumption.
In 2018, the FAO placed the
country's rice production at 5.6
million metric tonnes. While the
consumption was at 6.9 million
metric tonnes, indicating that
consumption surpassed
production.
According to FOA, Nigeria's rice
production climbed to 5.63 million
metric tonnes in 2019. An article
by BBC that same year noted that
the country consumes almost 7
million tonnes of rice in a year.
In 2020, rice production dropped
to 5.45 million tonnes. Using the
same consumption figures for
2019 (7 million metric tonnes), it
still shows an almost 3 million
metric tonnes deficit. The
likelihood is that the consumption
figures increased considering that
Nigeria's population increased
from 201 million in 2019 to 206
33
million in 2020.
In 2019, Nigeria was Africa's
second largest maize producer
after South Africa and the 14th
largest producer globally. Yet, its
local maize demand continues to
surpass supply thus creating an
annual demand gap of about 4
million metric tonnes annually.
According to USDA, maize import
into Nigeria doubled from 500,000
metric tonnes to 1 million metric
tonnes between October 2019 and
October 2020.
The country that almost all its
staple food consumption
surpassed the production, coupled
with total negligence to the
farming sector by those in power,
it will never be good to export it's
deficit food production produced
by smallholders farmers with
little or no modern technology.
The President, Buhari is seeking
the approval of the National
Assembly for N819.54bn which is
used to fix the various
infrastructure especially roads
destroyed by floods in the few
months ago. Government doesn't
consider the huge loss on
agricultural sector due to the
floods. Over 110, 000 ha of land
were destroyed. Government
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
FLOODING AND THE "NUISANCE" EXPORTATION OF FARM PRODUCTS
doesn't take into account the
causes of, and possible measures
needed to avoid the reoccurrences
of the floods.
The Nigerian government has
blamed the floods of 2022 on
unusually heavy rains and climate
change. United Nations
Humanitarian Coordinator for
Nigeria Matthias Schmale said
that the flooding could be largely
explained by climate change.
Climate change in Nigeria has
been responsible for flooding,
droughts, decreased air quality
and the loss of habitat.
A climate modeling study by the
World Weather Attribution
project estimated that the floods
were rendered far more likely and
much more intense by climate
change. They modeled the June to
September rainfall in the Lake
Chad and lower Niger river
catchment areas, looking at total
rainfall and intense rain weeks.
Flooding was exacerbated on 13
September with the perennial
release of water from the Lagdo
Dam in neighbouring Cameroon.
Excess water released from the
dam cascades down River Benue
and its tributaries, flooding
communities in the states of Kogi,
Benue as well as other states in
the northeast. When Lagdo Dam
was constructed in 1982, there
was an agreement by Nigerian
authorities to build a second, twin
dam in Adamawa State to contain
the overflows. Known as the Dasin
Hausa Dam project, it was to be
situated in Dasin Village of the
Fufore local government area, but
was never built by the Nigerian
government.
Flood can be forecasted before it's
occurrence through the following
ways;
l Observation and
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
collection of hydrological
and hydro meteorological
data,
Transmission of Data to
l food. Permanent Secretary
forecasting centres,
lAnalysis of data and
formulation of forecast,
and
lDissemination of forecasts
Given below are the methods of
Flood management;
l Construction of Dams and
Reservoirs
l Redirecting the excess
water to canals and
floodways
l Excess water can be used
for groundwater
replenishment
l The self-closing flood
barrier (SCFB) is a flood
defense system designed
to protect people and
property from inland
waterway floods caused by
heavy rainfall, gales or
rapid melting snow
l Having a planned disaster
preparedness plan and an
integrated solution and
approach.
34
Nigeria is not food secured. We are
not capable to feed ourselves. As a
result, it is a bad idea to export our
FMARD said Nigerians may soon
be importing yam for local
consumption from China. No one
will criticize export for it is a means
of foreign exchange earnings. But
we have abundant resources that
can be exported with huge profits.
Before we embark into massive
Exportation Farmers need to be
empowered with sustainable
Agricultural development projects;
modern farming techniques
(Climate Smart Technology),
improving agricultural input,
improving extension services,
access to credit and more
importantly price supports
mechanism.
Modern farms and agricultural
operations work far differently
than those a few decades ago,
primarily because of
advancements in technology,
including sensors, devices,
machines, and information
technology. Today's agriculture
routinely uses sophisticated
technologies such as robots,
temperature and moisture
sensors, aerial images, and GPS
technology. These advanced
devices and precision agriculture
and robotic systems allow
businesses to be more profitable,
efficient, safer, and more
environmentally friendly.
Private and public institutions
must be actively involved in
Agricultural sector to save the
situation. There is the need to fill
the gap of knowledge transfer from
extension services providers to the
practical farmers. E-extension
should be established in cluster
design at least for each Local
Government Area in Nigeria.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 ANTIOXIDANTS IN OUR FOODS
AND THEIR IMPACT ON OUR HEALTH
FACT: Did you know?
Moringa Oleifera (popularly
known as ZOGALE) contains
46 known antioxidants and
92 vitamins! Follow me on
this journey to learn about
how these antioxidants are
beneficial to your health.
What are Antioxidants?
Antioxidants are compounds that
protect your cells against free
radicals, which may play a role in
heart disease, cancer, and other
diseases.
But before we move on, what are
Free Radicals?
They are molecules produced
when your body breaks down food
or when you're exposed to tobacco
smoke or radiation. These free
radicals are characterized by one
or more mismatched electrons,
which is why they're called
"electron scavengers".
An excessive amount of free
radicals in the body causes a
condition called oxidative stress,
which may damage cells and lead
to chronic diseases. So how do
antioxidants work to eliminate
these free radicals? By reducing
molecules, thereby neutralizing
free radicals by donating an
electron.
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Isiwat Oyiza Musa
300 Level Student, Dept. of Food
Science & Technology, BUK
Sources of Antioxidants
Antioxidant sources can be
natural or artificial. Certain
plant-based foods are rich in
antioxidants. Plant-based
antioxidants are a kind of
phytonutrient or plant-based
nutrients. Our body also produces
antioxidants which are known as
endogenous antioxidants, the ones
that come from outside the body,
for example in our foods are called
exogenous antioxidants.
There are various antioxidants in
our foods. Some of the known
antioxidants in our foods include
vitamins C and E, selenium, and
carotenoids, such as beta-
carotene, lycopene, lutein, and
zeaxanthin along with the
minerals selenium and
manganese. They're joined by
glutathione, coenzyme Q10, lipoic
acid, flavonoids, phenols,
polyphenols, phytoestrogens, and
many more.
Some examples of foods that are
rich in antioxidants are Carrots,
tomatoes, moringa leaves,
cabbage, apples, potatoes,
watermelon, mango, berries,
broccoli, nuts, chocolate, beans,
ginger and garlic, banana e.t.c.
Numerous foods are highly rich in
antioxidants. Plant-based foods
are the best sources of
antioxidants.
35
Their Role and Impact on our
Health
Antioxidants work by donating
electrons to free radicals without
becoming electron scavengers
themselves. They are also
involved in mechanisms that
repair DNA and maintain the
health of cells. Antioxidants such
as vitamins C and E and
carotenoids help protect cells from
damage caused by free radicals
and preserve health and
longevity.
Because of the cellular damage
induced by oxidative stress, there
is much interest in the so-called
functional foods, encompassing
dietary antioxidants, for
preventing human disease. The
consumption of dietary
antioxidants, such as vitamin C,
Vitamin E, â-carotene, and
polyphenols, has been indeed
associated with an improvement
of inflammation, a reduction of
atherosclerosis progression, a
decrease in cellular proliferation
and metastatization, and
amelioration of lipid metabolism.
In other words, antioxidants
modulate several pathways
involved in cellular metabolism,
survival, and proliferation,
maintain well-being, and protect
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
ANTIOXIDANTS IN OUR FOODS AND THEIR IMPACT ON OUR HEALTH
the human body against the
development of the most common
chronic pathologies, such as
metabolic syndrome, diabetes,
cancer, and cardiovascular
diseases.
Antioxidants and heart health
Antioxidants play a very
important role in our heart health.
It has been reported that some of
the antioxidants in our foods
prevent major heart diseases.
Some antioxidants in some tea
(black tea, green tea) have been
found to have positive effects on
hypertensive health.
Although taking supplements has
not been found beneficial in
reducing heart diseases, food
antioxidants are been
recommended. Taking a diet rich
in antioxidant-containing foods
such as tea, vegetables, fruits, and
whole grains has been linked to a
reduced risk of cardiovascular
diseases.
Antioxidants and Cancer
There has been some evidence
that taking foods high in
antioxidants such as fruits and
vegetables offers protective effects
against certain cancers such as
cancer of the mouth, larynx,
pharynx, esophagus, stomach,
and bowel. Fruit may also prevent
lung cancer.
Also, supplements haven't been
found effective in the prevention of
cancer when compared to food
supplements. This is because the
specific components that provide
these protective effects are
unknown and thus can't be
replicated, which is why it is very
important to take foods rich in
those antioxidants rather than
supplements.
Antioxidants and lead
poisoning
Lead poisoning has been a major
problem in different regions
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Antioxidants work by
donating electrons to
free radicals without
becoming electron
scavengers themselves.
They are also involved
in mechanisms that
repair DNA and
maintain the health of
cells. Antioxidants such
as vitamins C and E
and carotenoids help
protect cells from
damage caused by free
radicals and preserve
health and longevity
around the globe which leads to
the development of chronic
illnesses and ultimately death.
Although this hasn't been well
established, recent studies have
shown that a particular
a n t i o x i d a n t c a l l e d
Proanthocyanidins (PCs are
highly efficient natural
antioxidants, their antioxidant
activity is 50 times higher than
that of vitamin E and 20 times
that of vitamin C.), a natural
antioxidant, which possesses a
b r o a d s p e c t r u m o f
pharmacological and medicinal
properties, brought about a
positive change when injected into
some mice that were poisoned
with lead.
This could lead to a huge
breakthrough in the treatment of
lead poisoning if the research
continues. Proanthocyanidins are
majorly found in fruits such as
berries (strawberry, raspberry,
blueberry, blackberry, etc), in
apples, cashew, pistachio,
avocado, mango, etc. It can also be
found in some nuts such as
peanuts, popularly known as
groundnuts, walnuts, etc.
36
Antioxidants and obesity
A certain antioxidant known as
Myricetin is an effective
antioxidant in the treatment of
obesity and obesity-related
metabolic disorders. Fruits such
as apples, berries, etc, and
vegetables such as cabbage,
onions, tomatoes, etc are rich in
myricetin. Apart from all these
highlighted diseases,
antioxidants also help improve
diabetic patients.
Antioxidants such as vitamins
C, and E, beta-carotene, and
micronutrients such as folate
and zinc have been found to be
very critical in normal semen
quality and reproductive
function in men. Also in the
female reproductive system,
antioxidants play important
roles in infertility, pregnancy-
related complications,
endometriosis, and ovarian
cancer. And so on.
Conclusion
In essence, the role of
antioxidants in our body cannot
be over-emphasized and this
article cannot cover it all. Just
like I've pointed out earlier on,
many of these antioxidants are
better gotten from foods because
the specific components that
have many of these major effects
on our health are unknown,
hence they can't be replicated in
artificial supplements.
It is therefore imperative for us
to always make sure our diets
are balanced and to incorporate
some of these foods rich in
antioxidants in our diets. Many
herbs and spices that we neglect
are very good for our health, just
like the amazing Moringa
leaves. Instead of buying that
sharwama today, I think your
body would be glad you bought
an apple instead!
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
AQUACULTURE: A VERITABLE TOOL FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND
FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA
INTRODUCTION
I
n 1984, the world population
growth was perceived to be
declining except in Africa and
parts of southern Asia. In recent
times, this has been quite the
opposite as the world population
growth has increased
exponentially, with an estimated
increase of about 250,000 people
daily. It is estimated that 1000
million people would be born this
decade and in the next ten years,
the population of the
industrialized world would grow
by 56 million, while the number of
people living in developing
countries will expand to over 900
million (United Nations
Population Division,1989;
UNFPA, 1989). Colossally, such
increment would occur in the
developing and poorest countries,
those societies which lack the
resources to cater for the basic
needs of the new arrivals and
invest proportionately in their
future.
Also, by 2050, the human
population is expected to reach 7
billion people, which in turn would
result in an increased nutritional
requirements in order to support
the population, and it is known
fact that natural marine fish
population cannot supply the
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
Ibrahim Mahmoud Opene
Level 400, Department of Fisheries
& Aquaculture, BUK
protein requirements for the
increasing population as their
biomass have continue to decrease
exponentially, and as at 2011,
61.3% have been fully used and
can no longer be harvested at a
biological sustainable rate (FAO,
2014). There is need for an
adequate system that will provide
healthy, nutritious and
inexpensive protein which would
support the population growth
and provide the natural
environment the needed rest.
Fish farming or aquaculture has
often been considered as an
integral aspect of agriculture,
capable of reducing poverty, and
contributing its quota towards
combating nutritional deficiencies
in the world. Nigeria is one of the
leading countries practicising
aquaculture in Africa, with the
most frequently cultured species
are Tilapia and African catfish.
Despite making headway and
certain remarkable achievements
on the field as a result of
availability of land, high demands
for protein and some institutional
commitments, Aquaculture in
Nigeria have been poised with
certain limiting factors which
have in turn reduced its efficiency
and productivity. These limiting
factors range from environmental
degradation, high cost of fish feed,
37
inadequate supply of fingerlings,
lack of access to credit facilities,
conflict with other sectors and low
technology adoption etc.
According to the FAO, in Nigeria,
the fish population is about 0.7
million metric tons annually and
only 5% of the 0.7 million is
produced locally from
aquaculture, with the 95% often
obtained from capture fisheries.
Also, out of the 35gramme of
protein recommended per day for
every individual only 7gramme is
consumed per day. This shows
that the populace is suffering from
protein deficiency and this low
supply with the ever increasing
population is as a result of certain
litigating factors such as
insecurity in certain parts of the
country, lack of viable policy for
improved aquaculture production
and other institutional
commitments. Aquaculture
development in most countries of
the world has shown that it has
the potentials to be used as a
veritable tool, bridging the gap
between fish demand and supply.
Aquaculture is also capable of
meeting food security of millions of
people, provision of quality fish
and other aquatic organisms for
human consumption and also,
provision of sustainable
employment, particularly those
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 AQUACULTURE: A VERITABLE TOOL FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA
living in remote areas. However,
there is still room for
improvement in the field of
aquaculture through improved
production system, genetic and
general farming management
practices in order to maximize
output, project the fishing sector
out rightly and meet the socio-
economic demands of the
increasing population in order to
achieve sustainable development
and ensure food security for the
populace.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Since over 70% of the total earth
surface is occupied by water,
Humans have devised a means of
utilizing the abundance of the
water body to raise fish and other
aquatic organisms for either
personal consumption or
commercialization through
aquaculture. According to
Conserve Energy, Aquaculture
can be defined as the scientific
process of raising, feeding,
breeding and harvesting of
aquatic organisms ranging from
plants to animals in a controlled
environment like the oceans,
lakes, rivers, streams and ponds
for consumption, habitat
restoration, conserving
endangered species and
enhancement of the wild
population.
In most developed countries,
several agricultural practices
such as agronomy, aquaculture
and water management are often
integrated in order to maximize
output. Thus, aquaculture can be
seen as an integral part of the
management of aquatic resources.
(Haylor, 2001).
According to FAO, food security is
defined as a situation where all
people, at all times have physical
and economic access to sufficient,
safe and nutritious food in order to
meet their daily dietary and
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
nutritional needs and preferences
for an active and healthy life, this
concerns not only food production
and distribution but social,
economic and institutional
dimensions. Olufayo et al argued
that Nigerians participation in
aquaculture has contributed its
quota towards ensuring food
security through the following
ways;
l Ensuring the availability of
healthy, nutritious and
inexpensive protein for the
population.
l Provision of employment
particularly to those living in
the remote areas.
l Serving as a veritable tool
towards curbing water
pollution.
l Reducing the pressure on the
wild stock population while
promoting fish culture.
l Reducing the social, economic
and cultural constraints
women are often subjected to
while performing their
household duties.
Promoting agricultural
l
diversification and increase
sustainability by providing a
source of water.
l Bridging the gap between fish
demand and supply, by
increasing fish availability.
Sustainable development on the
other hand, is the management
and conservation of the natural
resources base and the orientation
of technological and institutional
change to ensure continued supply
of human needs for present and
future generations. Sustainable
fisheries development is defined as
the fisheries development that
integrates bio-ecological, economic
and social dimensions to
sustainably improve the well-
being of all the people engaged
directly or indirectly in the fishing
sector as well as natural
productive system. (Serge MG,
FAO 1998). The practice of
38
aquaculture in Nigeria, is below
expectations regardless of the
abundant rainfall which increases
gradually from the west to east,
from north to south and the
presence of abundance and
spacious lands capable of
supporting aquaculture. To arrest
this deplorable condition and
promote fish production, there is
the need to stimulate aquaculture
production in order to meet the
desired fish supply capability and
ensure development of the
communities and the nation at
large.
However, understanding the basic
biology and ecology of water is
paramount towards ensuring a
comprehensive management of
fisheries resources. Because of the
dynamic nature of aquatic
resources, aquaculture needs to be
viewed from the basic ecosystem
ecology of fresh water systems.
Junk et al argued that the
sustainable development should
include the maintenance of the
natural food regime in order to
ensure sustained fish production.
This suggests that external agents
are the major drivers of change
such as flooding, which in turn
disagrees with the assumptions
for classical management
approaches in flood plain fisheries.
Welcomme et al top down
approaches strategies are classical
approaches which focuses on input
and output controls which are
essentially effort and mesh
regulations. Pauley et al classical
management approaches tends to
emphasize on the the assumptions
that fishers are in a “social and
financial” position to either comply
or implement these measures.
However, this quite the opposite in
developing nations particularly
Nigeria, where there is a problem
of providing three-square meals on
a daily basis.
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Pauley et al also argued that the
major fisheries management
objective in small scale fisheries is
to stem the tide of Malthusian
over-fishing. 'Malthusian
overfishing' is what occurs when
poor fishers, lacking the usual
alternative of indigenous fishers
such as small plot of land for
agricultural practices or seasonal
work on nearby lands are poised
with a decline in fish catch and a
resultant wholesale resource
destruction in an efforts to stabilize
incomes. It is often characterized
by continued fishing even when the
resources have depleted. This
would result in a drop in output
and a subsequent reduction in
protein intake. It can therefore be
argued that Malthusian theory
complements Hardins theory of the
'tragedy of the commons' - over
exploitation of resources without
regulations by the common people
for their personal gain with little or
no regard for conservation of the
resources.
Cheupangde et al also highlighted
that success of co-existing
management initiatives is
dependent on pre implementation
stage of the co-management
process. Colossally, co-
management practices can be seen
as a sustainable response to
fisheries management failure in
recent times which have been
majorly based on the top down
control measures.
DISCUSSION
Nigeria, with a total land mass of
923,768 square kilometers located
in the West African region is
blessed with abundant resources
which can sustain aquaculture and
project the fishing positively. One
of the basic requirements for
aquaculture production is the
presence of plentiful supply of good
perennial water that is adequate in
quality and quantity.
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In Nigeria, there is plenty supply
of rainwater and other water
supply such as the groundwater
resources and surface water
system are also adequate. Rainfall
tends to increase from west to east
and gradually from north to south.
Annual rainfall of the western
regions is 1778mm, central part is
about 1270mm and the northern
regions is estimated at 508mm.
Collectively, the Nation receives
enough rainfall that can support
fish and other aquatic production,
if properly utilized which in turn
ensure the production of quality
products that will ensure food
security and in turn provide the
needed protein. Also, the land
mass of the country is well
adequate to support aquaculture
and crop and animal production
simultaneously.
One of the major problems
litigating aquaculture
development in Nigeria is the lack
of government efforts towards
ensuring the development of the
fishing sector. In recent times,
there have been conscious efforts
to ensure the development of the
agricultural sector, with the aim of
diversification and reduce the over
dependent on crude oil. However,
only a little of this energy have
been channeled towards
aquaculture development.
According to a report, Nigeria
spends around 97 billion naira
annually on the importation of
around 700,000 tones of fish and
other related products from
European nations, Latin America
and other African nations. This
has resulted in the reduction in
the foreign exchange reserves and
the intent enriching of other
nations while the resources and
the needed requirements for
productions are readily available.
Currently, the total fishery
production is around 680,000
tones with aquaculture
accounting for only 200,000 tones
39
of the production. Given that, the
government decides to expand the
fishing sector and raise the annual
fishing output reach 2660,000
tones in order to meet domestic
market needs, there will be an
increase the domestic production
and subsequently, the resources
also can be exported out of the
country for generating foreign
revenue for the nation and also
boost foreign trade and
relationship with other nations.
These would lead to an increase in
the nation GDP and improve her
economy.
It is no longer a hidden knowledge
that there is a problem of
employment in the country.
According to a statistics published
by the National Bureau of
Statistics, the unemployment rate
in Nigeria rose to 33.3% in the
three months through December
2020.Several youths are left
unemployed after graduating
from the tertiary institutions as
there are no adequate jobs that
can cater for the ever increasing
population of the graduates. This
gradually becomes a problem as
indeed 'An idle man is the devils
workshop', as they can be easily
utilized to perpetrate the evil
schemes of those at the helm of
power for a little stipends. This
menace in the society can be
reduced through aquaculture, as
aquaculture can provide
employment opportunities to the
masses. According to
M.Shabandesh, the number of
people who were engaged in
fishing and aquaculture
amounted to around 40.34 million
and 19.24 million respectively
worldwide in 2016 and the
number has been increasing on a
daily basis since 1995. The
increase in job opportunities in
some third world countries is
realized as aquaculture provides
both a source of food protein as
well as a source of income to those
engaging in commercialization. It
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is such a lucrative venture that is
less time consuming and requires
little capital to initiate. The aim of
aquaculture under this, is to
produce self-sufficient individuals
capable of providing for
themselves, reducing the over
reliance on government for job
opportunities. It is also create
room for engaging in alternative
businesses thereby promoting
diversified source of income. This
boosts entrepreneurship and
provides more hiring possibilities
and more jobs.
Fish and other related aquatic
organisms are a good source of
protein and also help reduce wild
stock pressure. Fish is filled with
omega-3-Fatty acids and
vitamins, such as vitamin D and
B2 (Riboflavin). They are also
easy to keep compared to other
meat producing organisms as they
convert feed into protein more
efficiently. The omega-3- fatty
acid present in the fish and other
aquatic organisms helps in
lowering the blood pressure and
also reduce the risk of sudden
death, heart attack and other
related diseases. They also
stimulate brain functioning and
development and nerves during
pregnancy, this ensures the
proper development of healthy
infants. It has been seen to
prevent and reduce the risk of
arthritis, dementia and diabetes.
This provides the needed food
security as the population has
access to the needed protein
requirements needed for their
growth and development and also
help reduce the pressure on the
wild stock population, as
population of some wild stock are
in risk of being driven into
extinction as a result of
overfishing by the artisanal fish
farmers. Aquaculture also offers a
substitute by allowing farmers to
culture and spawn some of these
species in a controlled
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environment and allow the wild
population to regenerate. The
inducement would results in the
use of lesser labor for fishing
which would result in the more
profit for the fishers.
In recent times, there have been
research with regards the over
dependence on drilled fossil fuels
and related products as a result of
its environmental impact. Algae
are gradually being developed as
an alternative source of fuel that
can replace the fossil fuels. Algae
are known to produce lipids, that
when harvested, can be burned as
an alternative source of fossil fuel
which is more eco-friendly and
sustainable with the production of
water as a by-product. Such
breakthrough would ease the
dependence on fossils and also
reduce the price of energy as it is
been grown instead of the
contemporary drilling. This would
also reduce the environmental
impact of burning fuels as the
combustion of petroleum is partly
responsible for increased
occurrence of acid rains in certain
parts of the world and also
increased the nitrous and sulfur
oxide in the atmosphere which is
harmful to the inhabitants. Oil
spillage also causes
environmental pollution as spilled
oil penetrate into the structure of
the plumage of birds and fur of
mammals, reduces the insulating
ability and buoyancy in water.
Cleaning of oil polluted water body
can be difficult as the recovery
depends on the type of spillage,
temperature of the water and the
water body involved. By
increasing aquaculture, algae fuel
is produced on a large scale which
means it can revolutionalise the
sector and also creates a more
robust economy and provide a
perfect substitute to oil fuel and
also reduced the environmental
impacts of fossil fuels.
40
As the population of people living
in Nigeria has risen tremendously
in recent years with its
corresponding increase in demand
for food resources, there is need for
the development of a farming
system that will meet the
increasing demand for food and
also ensure maximum utilization
of the resources without any form
of wastage. Integrated farming
offers a solution in this direction.
This agricultural practice was
introduced into the country in
recent times, and it has the ability
to combine fish culture with
livestock production. The
economic benefits of this farming
method are that it ensures the
enhancement of food production
and also promote self-sufficiency.
Integrated multitrophic
aquaculture is an advanced
system of aquaculture where
different agricultural activities
are mixed into the system in order
to provide different nutritional
needs for each other. It is an
efficient farming system which
tries to emulate the natural
environment. In many situations,
it is often referred to as mixed
farming. This practice ensures the
maximum utilization of the lands,
and multiple harvests of different
commodities from same piece of
land. Integrated fishing is an
important aspect of aquaculture
as it ensures nutrient recycling,
and also maximizes profit for
those engaged in the farming. This
practice is common in Asian
countries particularly, China and
Japan where they engage in fish
cum rice production, shrimp and
rice cultivation, poultry and fish
production. This system ensures
maximum resources utilization by
using the waste of larger animals
as food sources for the smaller
animals. If properly practiced, it
can ensure profit maximization
and also help in providing the
needed food required by the
increasing population.
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 AQUACULTURE: A VERITABLE TOOL FOR
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In an effort to ensure food security
in Nigeria, aquaculture
production particularly aquatic
plants cultivation has shown to be
an important tool capable of
boosting agricultural production
and combating pollution in water
bodies. Aquatic plants are diverse
group of plant which are adapted
to living in an aquatic
environment. They are classified
into emergent, floating and
submerged plants. They are
known to serve various functions
such as serving as primary
producer in an aquatic ecosystem,
source of nutrients to herbivorous
fish, medicinal purposes, source of
recreation and tourism,
remediating polluted water,
source of food for man and animals
and also source of bio-fertilizer. In
the USA, duckweed are often
cultured to help to help remediate
polluted water as they have
certain fe3atures which allows
them arrest nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium and chloride from
waterways. They have also been
utilized as feed supplement for
fish as they are often incorporated
into integrated farming. Fish
production can be stimulated by
feeding duckweed to the extent
that it increases production from a
hundred kilograms per hectare to
10 tonnes/ha/year, this would
ensures maximum production and
also promote growth of fish.
Duckweed are also known to be
used as food sources for man,
when effectively managed
duckweed yield 10-30 ton
DM/ha/year containing 45% crude
protein 5% lipid and a highly
digestible dry matter.
They are also known to serve as
feed substitute for vegetable
protein for mature poultry and
other ruminants. If aquatic plant
cultivation is enhanced in Nigeria,
it will ensure maximum
utilization of aquatic resources
GREEN FOCUS
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and also promote food production
as it stimulate poultry production
and also, helps in cleaning
polluted water as they arrest
water pollutants from water ways.
CONCLUSION
Aquaculture production has a
great potentials for sustaining
food production and ensure food
security in Nigeria and also
enhances sustainable
development in the nation's
economy. For maximum
utilization of aquaculture, they
need to be given more emphasis to
aquaculture production as the
catch from the wild have been
overexploited and the resources is
gradually running towards
extinction. Aquaculture if
properly managed can provide the
needed food requirement for the
increasing population and
contributes its quoto towards
ensuring the sustainable growth
and national development. In
other to actualize these goals,
aquaculture opportunities needs
to be properly harnessed.
RECOMMENDATIONS
i. T h e r e i s n e e d f o r t h e
deliberate efforts of the
government and non-
governmental organizations
to educate the fishing
communities on the concept of
aquaculture production and
the roles of aquaculture in the
attainment of sustainable
community development.
ii. Community level aquaculture
societies should be set up to
collaborate with the relevant
government agencies in order
to participate in the decision
making process and also
identify key problems facing
aquaculture production in the
community and help identify
possible solutions.
iii. There is need for seminars,
paper presentations,
41
trainings and other form of
conventional methods of
passing information to fish
farmers on the enormous
benefits of engaging in
aquaculture production and
how it can help raise their
standard of living.
iv. Fish farmers that have
undergone trainings should be
equipped with the relevant
skills, adequate capital and
supports to embark on
aquaculture production in a
sustainable manner.
v. C o r r u p t i o n s , u n e q u a l
treatment of the fisheries
sector, lackadaisical attitude
and other form of obstacles
litigating aquaculture
development in all levels of
project initiators,
implementations and
executions should be
discouraged.
vi. There is need for legislation
with regards to aquaculture,
providing the needed acts and
Bills supporting aquaculture
production in relation to the
sustainable development
goals.
REFERENCES
i. FAO. Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United
Nation., The fisheries sector
contribution to poverty
alleviation and food security.
The state of World fisheries
and aquaculture, Food and
Agricultural, Rome. 2014.
ii. FAO. Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United
Nation. Contribution of
fisheries to National
Economies in West and
Central Africa- policies to
increase the Wealth
generated by small scale
fisheries. New direction in
Fisheries – A series of policy
briefs on Development issues
Rome, 2006; 12.
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 AQUACULTURE: A VERITABLE TOOL FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND FOOD SECURITY IN NIGERIA
iii. H a y l o r G , B l a n d S .
Integrating Aquaculture to
Rural Development into Rural
Development in coastal and
inland areas, Technical
proceedings of the conference
on aquaculture in the third
millenneuing, Bangkok,
Thailand, 20th- 25th February
2001.
iv. FAO. Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United
Nation. Fisheries
Development in Nigeria, the
current challenges; Paper
presented by the Minister of
state for agriculture and rural
development, Fisheries
society of Nigeria (FISON)
conference, 2007, Lagos state,
Nigeria.
An aerial view of aquaculture site at CDA farm
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
v. Olufayo MO. Gender Roles of
women in Aquaculture and
Food security in Nigeria,
Department of Fisheries and
Aquaculture Technology,
Federal university, Akure
IIFET 2012 Tanzania.
vi. Serge MG, the FAO definition
of sustainable Development
and the Conduct for
Responsible Fisheries, an
Analysis of the related
principles, criteria and
indicators, 1998.
vii. Junk WJ. Sustainable use of
the Amazon River flood plain,
problems and possibilities.
Aquatic ecosystem health and
management 2001, 3;225-233.
viii.Welcomme RL, (2001) inland
fisheries, conservation and
management black wells
42
oxford. 2001; 350.
ix. Pauly D. on Malthusian
overfishing NAGA 1990; 13:3-
4.
x. Hardins G. The tragedy of the
commons, Science 1968; 162;
1243-1248.
xi. Cheupangde R, Jentoft S. step
zero for Fisheries Co-
management; What preceeds
Implementation? Marine
policy. 2007; 5-7.
xii. Babbagana Zanna, Abba I
Tijanni, Mohammed Musa;
Aquaculture; a Tool for
Community Sustainable
Development under the
background and cultural
economic consideration in
Nigeria. A case study of Jere
local government area, Borno
state.
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THE BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF
AQUACULTURE AS A METHOD OF FISH FARMING
Abstract
The article "The benefits and
drawbacks of aquaculture as a
method of fish farming" discusses
the advantages and disadvantages
of fish farming as a method of
producing seafood. The main
benefits of aquaculture include
providing an alternative source of
fish without depleting wild stocks,
conserving wild fish populations,
and boosting the local economy
and providing jobs in coastal
communities. However, there are
also drawbacks such as the
potential for disease and parasite
outbreaks, the use of antibiotics
and other chemicals, and crowded
conditions that can lead to poor
welfare of the fish. Additionally,
the use of fish feed may have
detrimental effects on the
environment and human health.
The article also explores ways in
which the industry is currently
working to address these concerns
and promote sustainable fish
farming practices.
Introduction
Aquaculture, the practice of fish
farming, has become an
increasingly popular method of
producing seafood to meet the
growing global demand. While it
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Magazine | Vol.4
Abdullahi Rabiu Kurfi
Dept. of Fisheries & Aquaculture
Bayero University Kano
offers many benefits, such as
providing an alternative source of
fish without depleting wild stocks,
it also has its drawbacks. This
article will delve into the
advantages and disadvantages of
aquaculture, and discuss how the
industry is addressing these
issues.
One of the main advantages of
aquaculture is that it allows for
the controlled and efficient
production of fish, which can help
to meet the growing demand for
seafood without overfishing wild
fish stocks. Additionally,
aquaculture can conserve wild fish
populations by reducing the
pressure on them and providing
an alternative source of seafood.
Furthermore, fish farming is a
way to boost the local economy and
provide jobs in coastal
communities.
However, aquaculture also has its
drawbacks. One major concern is
the potential for disease and
parasite outbreaks in farmed fish,
which can have a devastating
impact on the health of the fish
and the industry as a whole.
Additionally, the use of antibiotics
and other chemicals in fish farms
43
can have negative environmental
impacts, and the crowded
conditions in which farmed fish
are often kept can lead to poor
welfare. Furthermore, the fish
feed used in aquaculture may have
detrimental effects on the
environment and human health.
To sum it all, aquaculture is a
complex and multifaceted
industry that offers both benefits
and drawbacks. This article will
explore these issues in greater
detail, and examine the ways in
which the industry is currently
working to address these concerns
and promote sustainable fish
farming practices.
The Benefits of Aquaculture as
a Method of Fish farming
Aquaculture, or fish farming, has
several benefits over traditional
wild capture fisheries. Some of the
main benefits of aquaculture as a
method of fish farming includes:
Improved fish production
Aquaculture allows for the
controlled breeding and raising of
fish, which can lead to a consistent
and reliable source of seafood. By
farming fish in captivity, it is
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 THE BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF
AQUACULTURE AS A METHOD OF FISH FARMING
possible to maintain a steady
supply of fish, regardless of the
fluctuations that can occur in wild
fish populations. This can help to
meet the growing demand for
seafood and provide a reliable
source of food for local
communities.
Reduced pressure on wild fish
populations
By farming fish in captivity,
aquaculture can help reduce the
pressure on wild fish populations
and prevent overfishing.
Overfishing can lead to a decline
in wild fish populations, which can
have negative impacts on the
ecosystem and local communities
that depend on fishing for their
livelihoods. By farming fish in
captivity, it is possible to meet the
demand for seafood without
relying on wild fish populations.
More efficient use of resources
Aquaculture systems can be
designed to be more efficient in
their use of resources, such as
water and feed, compared to
traditional fishing methods. For
example, closed-loop aquaculture
systems can recycle water,
reducing the amount of water that
needs to be taken from natural
sources. Additionally, fish farms
can use feed that is specifically
formulated for the species of fish
being raised, which can lead to
more efficient growth and less food
waste.
Can be done in a variety of
environments
Aquaculture can be done in many
different environments, such as
freshwater, saltwater, and even in
land-based systems. This means
that fish farming can take place in
a wide range of locations,
including areas where traditional
fishing may not be possible.
Can diversify fish production
Aquaculture can allow for the
farming of different species of fish,
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including those that are not
normally caught in the wild. This
can diversify the types of fish
available for consumption and
provide a wider range of options
for consumers.
Can provide a source of income
and employment
Aquaculture can provide a source
of income and employment for
individuals and communities.
Fish farming can create jobs in
areas such as feeding, breeding,
and harvesting fish, as well as in
related industries such as feed
production and equipment
manufacturing. Additionally, fish
farming can provide a source of
income for individuals and
families through the sale of their
fish.
Increased food security
Aquaculture can help to meet the
growing demand for fish as a
source of protein, particularly in
developing countries where
populations are increasing and
wild fish stocks are depleted.
Economic benefits
Fish farming can provide jobs and
income for people in coastal and
rural communities, and can also
generate revenue from the sale of
fish and fish products.
Efficiency
Aquaculture can be more efficient
than wild capture fisheries, with
higher yields per unit area and
lower costs of production.
Control over environmental
conditions
In aquaculture, environmental
conditions such as temperature,
salinity, and water quality can be
controlled to optimize growth and
health of the cultured specie
Reduced environmental
impact
When compared to wild capture
fisheries, fish farming can have a
reduced environmental impact as
44
it can be designed to minimize
pollution and disease
transmission.
The Drawbacks of
Aquaculture as a Method of
Fish farming
While it offers many benefits, such
as providing an alternative source
of fish without depleting wild
stocks, Aquaculture also has its
drawbacks. Some of the
drawbacks are highlighted below:
Environmental impact
Fish farms can have a negative
impact on the environment in
several ways. Pollution from fish
waste and excess feed can lead to
the degradation of water quality,
and harm wild fish populations by
reducing oxygen levels and
increasing nutrient
concentrations. Fish farms can
also spread diseases and parasites
to wild fish populations, which can
have a significant impact on wild
fish populations. Additionally, the
use of chemicals and antibiotics in
fish farms can harm the
environment by contaminating
the water and harming other
aquatic life.
Disease and parasites
Fish farms can act as a breeding
ground for diseases and parasites.
Fish are often kept in close
quarters, which can make it easier
for diseases and parasites to
spread. Disease outbreaks can
lead to significant losses for fish
farmers, and can also spread to
wild fish populations. This can
have a significant impact on wild
fish populations, and can also lead
to economic losses for fish farmers.
Low efficiency
Fish farms often have low
production efficiency, with a high
number of fish needed to produce a
small amount of food. This is due to
the high mortality rates among
farmed fish, which can be caused by
disease, poor water quality, and
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 THE BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF
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other factors. Additionally, fish
farms often require a lot of inputs,
such as feed and medicines, which
can also contribute to low efficiency.
High costs
Fish farming is a costly endeavor,
as it requires significant
investments in infrastructure and
equipment, such as tanks, pumps,
and filters. Additionally, there are
ongoing costs for feed, medicines,
and other inputs, which can make
fish farming a relatively expensive
endeavor.
Genetic issues
Selective breeding of fish and other
aquatic species in aquaculture can
lead to genetic issues and
inbreeding, which reduces the
overall health of the fish, making
them more susceptible to diseases,
and reducing their growth rate.
This can also lead to a reduction in
the yield of the farm, and can also lead
to economic losses for fish farmers.
Depletion of wild fish stocks
Fish farming usually requires large
amounts of fish feed, which is often made
from wild-caught fish. This can lead to
overfishing and depletion of wild fish
stocks. This can have a significant impact
on wild fish populations, and can also lead
to economic losses for fish farmers, as
they may be forced to pay more for fish
feed. It can also lead to a reduction in the
yield of the farm, and can also lead to
economic losses for fish farmers.

Escapes
Farmed fish are often kept in
confined conditions, and if the farm
is not well-maintained, fish can
escape. Escaped fish can compete
with wild fish for resources, and
may also spread diseases to wild
fish populations. This can have a
significant impact on wild fish
populations, and can also lead to
economic losses for fish farmers.

Conclusion release of pollutants and the spread of invasive

Regardless of how it turns out in the end, the
industry has been growing at an extreme pace and
this has warranted more research into it. Until
scientific finding prove otherwise, it is difficult to
ascertain how correct our fears regarding the
industry are. What is true for now is that fish
farming has the potential to mitigate many of the
problems faced by marine life today.
Nonetheless, it is important for the aquaculture
industry to carefully weigh the benefits and
drawbacks before implementing any new practices.
It is also important to closely monitor and regulate
the industry to minimize negative impacts.
Recommendations
The following potential recommendations are
proffered for improvement in the aquaculture
industry:
i. Carefully weighing the benefits and drawbacks
before implementing any new fish farming
practices and closely monitoring and regulating
the industry to minimize negative impacts.
ii. Supporting and promoting sustainable fish
farming practices, such as closed-containment
systems and the use of alternative fish feed
sources. These practices can help to reduce the
species, and can also decrease the pressure on
wild fish populations.
iii. Increasing research on disease prevention and
management in fish farming to minimize the
spread of disease and the use of antibiotics and
other chemicals.
iv. Encouraging fish farms to use feed made from
sustainable and locally sourced ingredients to
reduce the pressure on wild fish populations.
v. Monitoring fish farming practices to ensure that
they do not negatively impact wild fish
populations by competing for food and habitat,
and by spreading diseases and parasites.
vi. Encouraging the use of inland fish farming to
reduce the pressure on coastal habitats and to
reduce the risk of fish escaping into natural
waters.
vii. Creating policies and regulations that promote
transparency and traceability in the fish
farming industry to ensure that consumers can
make informed choices about the fish they
purchase.
viii. Encouraging collaboration between the
aquaculture industry, scientists, and
conservation groups to develop sustainable fish
farming practices that benefit both the industry
and the environment.

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Magazine | Vol.4 45 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 Ibrahim Suleiman Mudi
Dept. of Forestry & Wildlife Mgt.
Bayero University Kano
SIGNIFICANCE OF FOREST TO THE GLOBE
F orest is a large area of land with biodiversity of
plants and animal in an ecosystem. Forest cover
31% of the Earth's land an area of over 4 billion
hectares, 93% of world's forest are natural and 7%
planted. Globally, 76 million tonnes of food comes from
forest.
Forest provide wood and non wood products. Wood
product are the major product in the forest.
Forest provide non wood product which animal are
among them, and other useful material like Gum
Arabic, Honey, Latex, herbs and so on.
Forest stabilize the environment, Protect the area
from desert encroachment, erosion and Flooding.
An estimated 1.6 billion people, or 25% of the global
population, rely on forests for their subsistence needs,
livelihoods, employment, and income. For centuries,
forests have provided socio-economic safety nets for
people and communities in times of crises. (UN 2021)
"Drastically reducing deforestation and
systemically restoring forests and other ecosystems is
the single largest nature-based opportunity for climate
mitigation.”( UN Secretary General António Guterres
2021)
Forest provide 75% of world accessible fresh water
which comes from forested watershed.
1/3 of the world's populations, about 2.4 billion
people use wood fuel for cooking, boiling of water and
heating.
Forest ecosystem is the largest terrestrial Carbon
sinker, absorbing roughly 2 billion tonnes of carbon
dioxide each year.
Forest plant or trees serve as carbon sinker it
sequestrate the carbon dioxide which is harmful to
human health and release Oxygen fresh air which is
good to human health.
We can reverse the loss of forest cover worldwide and
contribute to the global effort of addressing climate
change through sustainable forest management;
including protection, restoration, afforestation and
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
reafforestation, and increase efforts to prevent forest
degradation.
Protect, conserve, Preserve the forest and save lives!
Say No To Forest Deforestation, Degradation, Illegal
Logging And Poaching!!
Plant trees and Make the world green again!!
Opportunity websites
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.. Some
websites you can scout and apply for opportunities are….
https://www.opportunitiesforyouth.org/
https://www.opportunitiesforafricans.com/
https://opportunitydesk.org/
https://opportunitiescorners.com/
https://www.afterschoolafrica.com/scholarship/by-
country/scholarship-in-nigeria/
Ventures for youth in the Agric Sector
Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the
end contribute most to real wealth, good morals &
happiness. Some of the existing businesses for young
people in agriculture are..
* Poultry production
* Livestock production
* Fish farming and aquaculture
* Crop production
* Snail production
* Food processing services
* Horticultural/ Gardening services/ Nursery
* Livestock & Poultry feed production and
distribution
* Sales of agricultural produce
* Sales of agricultural tools, machines and allied
products
* Food storage services
* Animal sale/ Dairy/ product and grocery
* Consultancy and Management practices
And lots more……..
46 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK
 ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE
NAAS 2020/2021 ADMINISTRATION
Abdurrahman
Usman Zunnurain
President, NAAS-BUK
NAAS 2020/2021 in view, the journey so far…
T
he 2020/2022 administration is the longest
serving in the history of NAAS serving from
late 2021 to early 2023 due to ASUU strikes
and sit at home from the covid-19 pandemic which
led to forced closure of the university. This series of
events have posed a number of challenges to the
functioning of the association, but all is well that
ends well, we are happy to pass down the mantle to
those after us, after a successful strive.
The association has not been able to organize as
intended events and activities which are often a key
part of student association programming, due to
financial constraints as a result of the pandemic
and the strikes. We however, with the help of the
executives and some members of the association,
have been able to achieve some wins, which
include:
1. Online Business and Life skills Training
supported by Nigeria Bottling company; where
members participated and were duly certified
and incentivized.
2. Orientation exercise; Newly admitted Level 1
and Level 2(DE) Students were oriented by the
invited lecturers from the faculty.
3. 2 days certified Sustainability Leadership
training in collaboration with Youth-hub Kano;
Participants were drawn from level 5 and lower
levels.
4. Online Training of students on Veggies
Production by Mr. Sebastine of East-west seeds
during the strike period.
GREEN FOCUS
Magazine | Vol.4
5. Distribution of over 100 copies of Handbooks
on; Agribusiness, Climate change and
Agriculture to students across all levels.
6. Distribution of note books were to over 100
level 1 students.
7. Distribution of over 50 University Dress code
Leaflets to newly admitted level 1 and level
2(DE) students.
8. NAAS Inter-level tournament; a football
competition was successfully organized
where all the levels participated. The winners
were gifted a trophy and medals for the best
players.
9. Facilitated the successful conduct of
Jobberman accelerated soft skills training for
over 200 students across all levels.
10. Successfully secured a world bank supported
project through APPEALS-Kano; the
association was awarded a Gurasa Processing
project- which will serve as a training ground
for students and also a sustainable source of
income to the association, equipments to the
tune of approximately 500,000 Naira for the
start-up were handed over to the association.
11. Successfully published the fourth volume of
the Green Focus magazine.
In conclusion, despite all efforts, the results
aren't as we envisioned, and planned. But success
is a series of small wins, and we believe that a solid
foundation has been built with systems in place
for the incoming administration to function fully
and deliver and it is this, that will outlive us and
our tenure as NAAS.
47 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS NAAS-BUK