Deji Ojo: Powering Nigeria’s Agricultural Future
This RMI associate works with communities like his own to electrify their agricultural processes and enhance energy security.
October 11, 2024
By Olivia Williams
In the heart of West Africa, Nigeria’s landscape tells a story of agricultural richness and diversity. From the cocoa and oil palm plantations of the south to the expansive fields of livestock in the north, farming forms the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and the lifeblood of its rural communities. This vital sector not only employs one-third of the population but also serves as a primary source of national revenue.
However, climate change poses immense danger to the country’s agricultural tapestry. Unpredictable rainfall, intensifying droughts, and devastating floods are reshaping farming practices, threatening food security, and jeopardizing the very foundation of rural life. Farmers’ families across the nation are grappling with crop failures and loss of animals as their resilience is tested by a growingly unpredictable environment.
Ayodeji Ojo discussing with Agriculture Field Officers of One Acre Fund, Minna, Niger State, 2023.
Enter Ayodeji (Deji) Ojo, a senior associate on RMI’s Africa Energy Program who stands at the cutting-edge of this critical issue. In this challenging landscape within his home country, Ojo has found his passion: spearheading initiatives helping smallholder farmers electrify their processes using solar water pumps, solar-powered mills, and solar-powered refrigerators, boosting their income and reducing pollution.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Ojo to delve deeper into his work and the motivations behind his dedication to sustainable agriculture. His story is one of resilience, innovation, and a relentless pursuit of sustainable solutions for the challenges faced by farmers in his homeland.
How has your background influenced your dedication to sustainable agriculture?
My roots run deep in the agricultural communities of rural Nigeria. I grew up in a peri-urban community called Ilesa, in Osun State, which was removed from the main cluster of farms that fed our region. Throughout my childhood, I supported my father on his backyard farm to help supplement my family’s sustenance, raising turkeys and chickens and cultivating crops like oranges, sugarcane, yam, and corn. I didn’t realize then that I was sowing a seed for my future passion.
Like many young people my age, I had initially set my sights on a career in finance or the corporate world. My path took an unexpected turn when I enrolled in an agricultural economics course during my undergraduate studies at the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State. I discovered how climate change acts as a threat multiplier, exacerbating poverty, worsening health situations, and even fueling conflicts and migration. Suddenly, climate change wasn’t just an environmental issue — it was a mega-problem that, if mitigated, will unearth the key to prosperity for millions in Nigeria, including farmers in my own community.
Suddenly, climate change wasn’t just an environmental issue — it was a mega-problem that, if mitigated, will unearth the key to prosperity for millions in Nigeria.
Ayodeji Ojo interacting with smallholder farmers in Mayo Belwa, Adamawa State, 2021.
Driven by this newfound interest, I pivoted my studies to focus on the intersection between climate change and agriculture. I traveled all around Ondo State for my bachelor’s dissertation to speak with smallholder farmers about their awareness of climate change and their adaptation strategies. My findings were both revealing and worrying. While many farmers were aware of climate change, evidenced by their recognition of delayed onset and early cessation of rains, they did not know how to adapt to this new reality.
To expand on this research, I pursued a master’s degree at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. My research focused on how the vulnerability of small-scale farmers and other factors influenced their adaptation choices. My PhD, also at University of Ibadan, synthesized everything I had learned, investigating how the long-term commitment to farming affects poverty dynamics of rural households.
What gaps and opportunities have you seen in the sector?
Towards the end of my PhD, I joined an initiative funded by the Gates Foundation to advance local dairy development in Nigeria. From the outset, my team and I faced a significant challenge: how to effectively transfer knowledge to farmers who had been using traditional methods for generations.
Our breakthrough came through collaboration with agricultural extension agents. We developed a peer-to-peer approach, identifying quick learners within each community and empowering them to train their peers in local languages. These agents skillfully broke down complex ideas into locally relevant examples, greatly enhancing the effectiveness of our formal training programs.
Ayodeji Ojo (left) and Habiba Daggash (both RMI staff) on field visits, 2023.
This strategy proved highly successful. We saw a marked improvement in the adoption of new practices, leading to increased milk yields across the communities we worked with.
However, our success soon revealed another critical issue: storage. The two-hour window post-milking became a race against time. Without proper cooling facilities, the increased milk production we had worked so hard to achieve was at risk of spoiling, threatening the profitability of the entire operation.
This challenge inspired me to research solutions, leading me to find cool storage technologies being implemented by RMI. I was fascinated by RMI’s innovative work at the intersection of agriculture and renewables. Here was an approach that merged renewable energy with agriculture, empowering farmers to harness power in ways that could revolutionize their operations.
Here was an approach that merged renewable energy with agriculture, empowering farmers to harness power in ways that could revolutionize their operations.
This realization marked a turning point in my career. I saw an opportunity to address not just isolated issues in agricultural development, but to contribute to a more holistic approach that could transform rural economies. It was this potential that ultimately led me to join RMI’s Energizing Agriculture Program (EAP), where I could continue to work on innovative solutions for agricultural communities.
How is RMI filling those gaps?
EAP operates on three key pillars. First, we cultivate a pipeline of bankable, sustainable projects through the Rural Electrification Agency. Second, we provide non-market services, bridging critical data gaps in the industry. The third pillar, where I concentrate my efforts, involves innovation accelerator pilots. Here, we test locally relevant business models and collaborate with stakeholders to scale successful initiatives.
I lead two teams within these accelerator projects. One team focuses on replacing fossil fuel-driven agricultural processing equipment with electric alternatives. The second team deploys electric two-wheelers for farm logistics, working alongside agricultural extension service providers in Nigeria.
Ayodeji Ojo (right) and Habiba Daggash interacting with a One Acre Fund Field Officer in Gwam Niger State, 2023.
Our approach of pairing energy with agricultural production has demonstrated remarkable potential. We’ve addressed both sides of the profitability equation for small Nigerian farms. By integrating renewable energy into agricultural processing, we’ve reduced energy costs by up to 60 percent in many instances. Simultaneously, our innovative technologies have improved product quality, enabling farmers to command higher market prices.
This work is more than just implementing new technologies; it’s about reimagining the future of rural Nigerian agriculture. Each successful project reinforces the viability of our approach and its potential to drive substantial economic and environmental benefits for farming communities across the nation.
This work is more than just implementing new technologies; it’s about reimagining the future of rural Nigerian agriculture.
What’s at stake for Nigeria if we don’t electrify agriculture now?
In Nigeria, agriculture isn’t just a means of sustenance or revenue — it’s the very fabric of our cultural identity. I’ve felt this firsthand in my community and communities across our nation.
Take a yam, for instance. In the south, yam is not merely a crop but a symbol of honor. I’ve attended many weddings where the family of the groom proudly presents several tubers of yams alongside the dowry, a ritual as important as any other part of the ceremony. Up north, cattle hold a similar place of prestige. The exchange of cows between families as part of marriage contracts is also a common sight, each animal representing not just wealth, but an extension of age-old traditions.
Ayodeji Ojo facilitating a stakeholder meeting on Productive Uses of Energy in Lagos, 2024.
But there’s more at stake here than just tradition. Agriculture is the lifeline for millions of Nigerians. I remember a conversation with a farmer who told me that before electrifying their local processing, they were barely getting by with their monthly income. After implementing our new technologies, they not only increased their income but also had additional savings. The joy in their eyes as they spoke of being able to send their child to school and diversify their investments was a moment I will never forget.
As we innovate, we’re not only protecting farmers’ incomes but safeguarding the soul of Nigeria.
Our fight to electrify is about more than just agriculture — it’s about preserving our heritage, traditions, and way of life. As we innovate, we’re not only protecting farmers’ incomes but safeguarding the soul of Nigeria. Each improvement we make touches entire communities and our national culture. This responsibility drives my work every day.
Source link : https://rmi.org/deji-ojo-powering-nigerias-agricultural-future/
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Publish date : 2024-10-11 07:00:00
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