A 400-level student of the Department of Food Engineering, University of Ilorin, Qudus Aduragbemi Balogun, has emerged as the project leader in a team that recently won the prestigious European Youth Empowerment Fund.

Other members of the team are Prof. M.O. Sunmonu, and Dr M. S. Sanusi, all of the Food Engineering Department of the University, and they jointly won the €1,200 European Youth Empowerment Grant.

A statement jointly issued by the Project Supervisor, Prof. M. O. Sunmonu and Project Coordinator, Dr M. S. Sanusi, a copy of which was made available to UNILORIN Bulletin last Tuesday (April 8, 2024), disclosed that the initiative, which falls under the “Young Individual” category of the grant, highlights youth-driven innovation and leadership in development-focused projects.

The statement added that the “Award-winning proposal, titled “Empowering Smallholder Farmers with Climate-Resilient  and Vertical Farming Skills,” is a four-month initiative that will be implemented in Ilorin, with the goal of training 100 youths in sustainable agricultural practices including vertical farming systems band climate-resilient techniques”.

According to the statement, the grant will cover the procurement of training materials and vertical farming structures, as well as the design and fabrication of a dryer and acquisition of tools for effective data collection and analysis.

The project also includes other experts’ contributions from Prof. J. O. Olaoye, Dr M. M. Odewole, Dr T. D. Akpenpuun, and Dr O. Ahmed, who represented the Departments of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Food Engineering, and Crop Protection, respectively.

The project is scheduled to begin on April 28, 2025, and it is expected to significantly contribute to youth empowerment and the promotion of innovative agricultural solutions in the region.