A REPORT ON THE 38TH LUCRID WEBINAR, LANDMARK UNIVERSITY, OMU-ARAN, KWARA STATE.
- Post by: bankole
- November 7, 2023
- No Comment
A REPORT ON THE 38TH LUCRID WEBINAR, LANDMARK UNIVERSITY, OMU-ARAN, KWARA STATE
In furtherance to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as coined by the United Nations, the College of Agricultural Sciences in collaboration with Landmark University SDG 13 (Climate Action), organized a webinar with the theme: ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY IN AFRICA THROUGH CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE. The webinar which was anchored on SDG 1, SDG 4, SDG 13, SDG 15, and SDG 17 held on the 19th of April, 2023 at the International Exhibition Centre of the University.
The event was anchored by Mr. B.M Falana. To set the pace for the event, an opening prayer was given by the Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. O.O Alabi. The Director, Landmark University Centre for Research, Innovation and Discoveries (DLUCRID), Dr Oluwasogo Dada took the prologue of the webinar while the Team Lead, LMU SDG-13, Dr. R.C. Okocha gave the welcome address. Standing in for the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Charity Aremu, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. John Ojediran gave a succinct remark.
It was indeed an insightful presentation as the guest facilitator, Prof. Ndiko Ludidi took to the floor to do justice to the discourse. As an established researcher (NRF rating of C2) with expertise in plant molecular biology, plant physiology and biochemistry, Prof. Ndiko Ludidi’s presentation had a strong bias for crop, and this may not be unconnected with the substantial contribution of the crop subsector the Gross Domestic Product of most countries in the continent. He highlighted the contributory factors to food insecurity in the shades of undernourishment and climate change, to mention but a few. He gave a projected looming situation of drought for Africa in the incoming decades and stated that drastic steps need to be taken to forestall its devastating effect on food security.
Prof. Ndiko Ludidi however was apt to highlight the panaceas to Africa’s doldrum by stating the need for Africa to look more inwards to unravel the potentials untapped in our indigenous crop species, which poses great resilience to climate changes. He further stressed the need for genetic diversity, comparative physiological and biochemical studies as avenues to build resilience.
At the end of the lecture, the guest speaker fielded questions from the participants. This was then followed by a closing remark by Prof. M.O. Bamiro and a vote of thanks by Dr. E.T. Alori. The webinar drew its curtains with a closing prayer by Dr. K.S. Obaniyi and thereafter a group photograph session to mark and celebrate the day.