The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Blessing Agbebaku, has flagged off the 2026 planting season under the Governor Monday Okpebholo-led “Back to Farm Initiative” with a symbolic yam planting exercise on his farmland in a long Sabongidda-Ora/Ugbubezi road, signaling renewed commitment to food security and community support.
Speaking at the farm site on Thursday, Rt Hon Agbebaku said the initiative went beyond personal farming but was aimed at “leading by example” in line with the state government’s drive to encourage youths and political leaders to return to agriculture as a sustainable path out of hunger and unemployment.
“This is not politics. This is survival. If we must fight food inflation and create jobs, then all of us, especially those in leadership, must put our hands in the soil,” Agbebaku told community members, local farmers, and journalists gathered at the farm site.
The Speaker disclosed that the farm had been cultivated with improved yam seedlings this season, with a target of harvesting several hundred tubers by end of the year.
In line with the initiative’s community focus, he announced that widows, persons living with disabilities, and other vulnerable households across Owan West would be the primary beneficiaries of the harvest.
“At harvest, no tuber from this farm will be sold. Everything will go directly to widows, the less privileged, and families who cannot afford food in this tough economy. That is our covenant with the people,” he said.
While community leaders hailed the move as timely, agric experts at the event noted that visible participation by political office holders could help reverse youth apathy toward farming.
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