Farmers in Lagos, numbering 87 on Monday, received a total of N11.4 million agricultural grant under the Lagos Chapter of the Renewed Hope Initiative 2025 Agricultural Support Programme (RHI-ASP) of the federal government.

While 27 out of the 87 were in the youth and women category with a grant of N200,000 each, along with farming inputs to enhance their productivity, 60 others were selected from the senatorial districts of the state, with each beneficiary receiving N100,000 under the Every Home A Garden 2.0.

The beneficiaries included individuals involved in various agricultural products such as fisheries, vegetables, garri processing, poultry, beekeeping, and zobo drink processing.

As a way of encouraging youth to go into agriculture, 120 students chosen from 24 schools across the six education districts — with five students each from Junior and Senior schools — will partake in the YFC 2.0 project.

While speaking at the presentation of cheques to the beneficiaries and the official launch of the 2025 RHI-ASP held at the Lagos House, Ikeja, the First Lady of Lagos State, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, commended the First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for supporting the initiative with N60 million.

She noted that the initiative comprises four core components: the Women Agricultural Support Program, Youth Agricultural Support Program, Every Home a Garden, and Young Farmers Club — all of which were being launched.

The First Lady added that the initiative has reawakened consciousness, especially among women and youth, for them to embrace agriculture as a sustainable means of livelihood and further boost the nation’s food security. She further said the launch of the programme was done simultaneously across the 36 states of the federation.

“For me, the Lagos story is changing, and it is changing for the best. We will build a Lagos where no one goes to bed hungry — a Lagos where our women and youth are financially independent. Agriculture is not just our heritage, it’s our future. Let us remember that the food we eat starts with us,” Sanwo-Olu’s wife said.

The wife of the Deputy Governor, Oluremi Hamzat, described the Renewed Hope Initiative Agricultural Support Programme as a way to grow household food production.

She said that the state is “witnessing a new wave of opportunities” and urged the beneficiaries to “plant the seed with care.”

Two resource persons — Femi Ojelade, with 24 years of farming experience, and Omolara Oguntuyi, the Lagos State Coordinator from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security — urged the youth to embrace agriculture because “agriculture is the future.” They also emphasised the importance of organic farming.

“We must make conscious efforts to start eating healthy. If we make efforts to reduce waste, our environment will become healthier. Agriculture is wealth. Oil is fading, but agriculture cannot,” they said.

Participants at the event included students from the Young Farmers Club across different schools in the state.