The mandate of the Federal College of Agriculture (FCA), Ibadan is to produce diplomates at both the National and Higher National Diploma levels with high academic standard and sound practical skills to meet the demands of the agricultural sector of the economy.
Our diplomates are trained to be self-sufficient and also to provide middle level technological manpower needs to farmers, agro-allied industries, agricultural institutions and government agencies. They are trained to serve as extension agents in Federal and States’ Ministries of Agriculture and related sectors.
To achieve her mandate and vision, the College (FCA, Ibadan) is focusing on accelerated measures to reposition the school for improved academics, productivity and impact. This is being consolidated through five (5) strategic developmental channels.
In line with the mandate of FCA, Ibadan, the institution is saddled with the core responsibility of training. Our students/diplomates are now better trained to be practical-oriented, industrious, equipped with hands-on skills and do not need to depend on white collar jobs for sustenance or to positively impact the nation. The Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan presently runs thirteen (13) fully accredited academic Programmes, cutting across 3 Schools (School of Agriculture, School of Engineering, and School of Agricultural Management and Vocational Studies). However, there is an ongoing plan to secure accreditation for six (6) additional courses to complete the ongoing cycle of expansion, as well as to improve the reach of observations in the broad field of Agriculture.
To improve on the quality of students’ training, we have recently stocked our Soil, Microbiology, Biology, Biochemistry, Pest Management and Physics Laboratories with Centrifuge, Soxhlet Extractor, Humidifier, Distillers, Thin Layer and Column Chromatographs, Spectrometer, Flame Photometer, Microscopes, Reagents, Autoclave, Power Sets, Biological Models, Hematocrit Apparatus, Electrical Training Devices and other analytical and bio-assay facilities for teaching, students’ project analysis and generation of revenue for the College. The College was also recently reorganized into five Schools: School of Agriculture, School of Engineering, School of Science and Technology, School of Agricultural Management and Vocational Studies, and School of Basic Studies and Media Technology. In addition to this, we are recently improving on our entrepreneurial, vocational and general skill-acquisition training.
Also, in our bid to reposition the College through consolidation and innovation, the College equally conducts training for both the Management team and regular staff members. This is aimed at improving their productivity, service delivery and overall efficiency in the discharge of their duties.
The College Animal Farm is equipped with snailery, rabbitry, piggery and cane rat production facilities. Others include the capacity to produce poultry and newly constructed College Abattoir for the processing of beef and other meat products.The College has also gone into broiler meat production on Public-Private Partnership basis with Tarz Farm. This is aimed at producing processed broilers with initial capacity of 5,000 processed broiler chicken every six weeks. A 5000 broiler capacity raised pen is under construction, with the intention to set up a semi-intensive, battery cage poultry production system. The set up will be equipped with a processing unit, as well as a cold room, and it will encourage quality, safe, healthy, accessible and highly nutritious poultry production for teaching, research, exhibition and commercial consumption.
The Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan has a long list of agricultural production impacts, aimed at achieving food security, job creation and poverty eradication in Nigeria. Some of our crop production capacities include:
As identified in the Agricultural Transformation Agenda: Policy and Strategy document, fabrications towards the automation of individual steps in the production system for various agricultural commodities is imperative and a prerequisite to an enhanced productivity in the agricultural sector. To this effect, the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan is presently contributing, through the construction of various farm input and post-harvest processing equipment, in order to mitigate drudgery and encourage agricultural practice.
We have, in recent time, concentrated on research investigations aimed at minimizing farm drudgery, improving organic agriculture and developing efficient Agricultural Extension services. Recommendations from research investigations in these fields are channeled towards reproduction on farms and fields to establish the precision of such findings. Such outcome will go a long way in optimizing agricultural products with minimal input.
In order to develop sustainable contributions towards efficient agricultural practice, it is imperative to consider the conditions affecting crop production. To improve on the coordination of research in Precision Agriculture, the College recently commissioned a newly constructed Meteorological center to harness the changes in environmental parameters influencing the performance of agricultural produce. Data from our server have been accessed by researchers from within and outside the College for experimental purposes. In addition to this, the College (FCA, Ibadan) has launched an academic journal: Journal of Agriculture and Bio-Engineering Science (JABS), to archive the observations and recommendations generated from research fields towards national adopting.
The welfare of staff and students of the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan is pivotal to the actualization of the goals and vision of our dear College. Steps, projects and programmes executed to improve the welfare of individuals in the College (and by extension, the larger community) include:
