In a bid to inspire Nigerian youths to embrace agriculture, Olori Atuwatse III, the wife of the Olu of Warri, has renewed her call and taken the sustainable farming campaign to secondary schools to revive school gardens in Delta state.
This initiative aims to foster self-sustenance among young Nigerians.
During the launch of the ‘Love Garden’ campaign at Dom Domingos College in Warri South Local Government Area, Delta State, Olori Atuwatse III emphasized the critical role of farming in boosting both national and individual revenue, regardless of one’s educational background.
Explaining the goals of her two-year-old Secondary School ‘Love Garden’ Initiative, Olori Atuwatse III highlighted its focus on instilling agricultural awareness in youths from an early age. The initiative aims to familiarize students with small-scale farming techniques that they can implement at home.
“This initiative is an intensive campaign to revive school gardens in Delta State, particularly in the Warri Kingdom. It remains a feasible way to ignite youths’ interest in practical agriculture from a young age,” she said.
Olori Atuwatse III noted that school farms not only support students’ immediate families and communities but also offer potential financial benefits from selling surplus produce.
She stressed that farming fosters confidence and entrepreneurial skills in children, teaching them discipline, effort, and endurance—traits essential for future leaders.
Furthermore, She expressed her desire to enhance the initiative by planting economic trees in the garden, generating additional revenue for school maintenance and classroom needs.
She pledged the Warri royal stool’s support in addressing challenges faced by the school management and assured that more school gardens would be established in collaboration with public and private sectors across Warri South Local Government Area and Delta State.
Olori Atuwatse III urged the Delta State Government and corporate organizations to bolster this initiative by replicating school gardens across the state. “The more hands we have working together on this across the state, and possibly across Nigeria, the better for all of us,” she concluded.
The event culminated with Olori Atuwatse III personally planting crops and trees at strategic locations on the farm, officially kicking off the farming campaign.