Dear Aspiring Agricultural Entrepreneurs, this is an acknowledgement of your interest in the SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria Integrated Mechanized Agricultural Training Programme.
By Introduction, SOS Children’s Villages is the largest independent, non-governmental, non-profit international development organization headquartered in Innsbruck, Austria. The organization provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children/Youths in need and protects their interests and rights around the world. The first SOS Children’s Village was founded in 1949 in Tyrol, Austria by an Austrian philanthropist Hermann Gmeiner. Today, SOS Children’s Villages is active in 135 countries and territories worldwide. The acronym SOS was obtained from a German word ‘Societal Socialise’, meaning ‘A just society where every child has equal opportunity’.
SOS Children’s Villages provide alternative families to children without adequate parental care. Children of different ages and background live together in a house with a full-time parent. In addition to the Villages, the organization also runs a whole range of programs and facilities to support socially disadvantaged and impoverished families through its subsidized kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, youth facilities, social and medical centers, and emergency response relief operations. In 2017, over 85,000 children and youths are raised in 572 SOS Children’s Villages and over 700 SOS Youth Facilities. Another 3.8 million children and adults received services from their other programs.
In Nigeria, SOS Children’s Villages has been active since 1973 and has presence in Isolo-Lagos, Owu-Ijebu, Ogun State, Gwagwalada-Abuja, Jos-Plateau State, Ibadan-Oyo State, Kaduna-Kaduna, Maiduguri-Borno State, and recently, Benin City-Edo state. Over the past years, we have provided quality childYouth care and protection to orphaned and abandoned children that grow up in SOS Children’ Villages Family Based and Family Strengthening Programmes.
SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria is implementing an Integrated Mechanized Farming and Agricultural in Owu-Ijebu, via the Ore/Ijebu Ode/Lagos Highway in Ogun State. The project is focusing on the production of Cassava, Maize, Plantain, Snails, Catfish, Pigs, Goats, Sheep and Poultry Birds and Agro processing on 18 Hectares of land. The integrated Mechanized farm is serving as a demonstration farm that will provide capacity building for vulnerable young people, women, and other adult from within and outside the immediate community on the different agricultural value chains. It will also encourage young people to take up a career in agriculture and agro-allied business. The project is expected to make use of the available human and natural resources as a springboard for sustainable youth empowerment and also towards a sustainable socio – economic development.
There are four categories of training, namely: One week, two weeks, one month, and three months respectively. The training is a blend of capacity building in Employability and Entrepreneurship skills wrapped in Smart Agriculture/Agribusiness focusing on Agricultural business development and the profit potential around it via exploration of all value chains around crops and animals like cassava, plantain, maize and vegetables, poultry / veterinary services, snailery, fishery/fingerlings hatching, Animal feeds production, and furthermore participants shall be exposed to:
Agricultural Business Value Chain Analysis, critical thinking and understanding the Agricultural value chain/ Getting started
Understanding Green House Technology, and making profits from Vegetable and fruits production
Understanding the Crops Value chains ( Cassava, Maize, Plantain, etc)- Knowing the opportunities and challenges
Understanding the Animals Value chains ( Poultry, snails, fisheries, piggery, Goats and sheep etc)- Knowing the opportunities and challenges
Opportunities in Agric products sales/distribution/export
Agriculture Business Entrepreneurship Development,
Critical Success Factors For Agriculture Business
Techniques for Managing Profitable Agriculture Business,
Preparation of Agriculture Business Feasibility Studies and Business Plan,
Sources Of Agriculture Finance and the Modalities for Accessing Funds (Credit),
Agricultural Value Chain Market Intelligence Information for Proper Market
Positioning and Customer Service Delivery,
Use of Information and Communication Technology In Agriculture Business, and
Identifying Key Agribusiness Drivers and their Roles
Other benefits of participating in our Agricultural Entrepreneurship/ Employability programme, shall include but not limited to:
long term mentorship from experienced and practicing Agricultural experts
access to ready market for your farm products
high possibility of getting jobs in Agricultural Organizations after the Employability aspect of the training irrespective of course of study
links to other platforms of young farmers
membership of Agricultural cooperatives to access various Agricultural Business support schemes
links to reliable sources of funds for your Agricultural Business setup
excursion / field trips to other renown Agricultural farms for experience sharing
and lots more
The new trend in the Nigeria economy is Agriculture.-“Go back to the farm” is the next thing Nigeria economy seems to be saying…..The current ban on food items importation by Federal government is a signal that AGRICULTURE is the future….This Training has been designed to meet the Current need in our society. Follow us and key into it. Some of the reasons why young people should go into smart farming include:
There is an ever increasing demand for food
There is a ready market
There are no government regulatory issues in terms of Taxation on farm produce, but instead government is encouraging everyone to go into farming and giving directives to Banks to reduce interest rates for farm Businesses.
Interested youths are hereby invited for a one week introductory Agricultural Business / Employability training slated for 28th October to 1st November, 2019 at the Project Location in Owu- Ijebu, a community in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.
Although SOS Children’s villages will fund part of the training cost, participants will need to make a financial commitment to cover the full cost for feeding, lodging, field trips for practical sessions, Excursions and other logistics during the one week programme. The timeline and expected financial commitment will be communicated to those who will reply to this email indicating further interest to participate.
Participants wiling to come for the training should indicate interest by replying to this mail on or before Monday 21 October to enable us share the financial commitment and training plan with them.
For more enquiries, send a mail indicating your interest or asking questions on unclear issues to: cyprian.omoruyi@sos-nigeria.org or SMS to 08124402794 (No voice calls please)
Warm regards.
CYPRIAN OMORUYI
Youth Development Coordinator
SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria, Ogun Program
P.O. Box 492, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State
Email: cyprian.omoruyi@sos-nigeria.org,
Skype: omoruyi cyprian
www.sosvillages-nigeria.org
