Mastercard Foundation: Enterprise for Youth in Agriculture
The technologies to be deployed include:
Greenhouse farming – this is a climate smart growing method that gives the growers control over biotic and abiotic factors.
Soilless farming (hydroponics) – a growing method that does not depend on soil, it allows the grower to grow year round regardless of season
ML & AI tools – These will be used in monitoring the irrigation of the plants as well as proper nutrient combination for the plants.
Integrated Pest management – A combination of physical and biological control will be used throughout the project to ensure proper pest management.
Students will be admitted quarterly into the project, 1000 students per quarter and will be grouped in 50s. In a year there will be 4 admissions, thus:
Annual student intake = 4000
A batch of students admitted quarterly = 1000
A batch consist of 20 groups
A group consist of 50 team members
Work:
All 50 students in a group have joint ownership of a 3 plots hydroponics farm
Each group will have the technical team (16), Agronomy team (12), Packaging/branding team (8), logistics (6) and Account/Management team (8)
Learn:
All students will be trained on basic greenhouse setup
All students will be trained on basic soilless farm setup
All students will be trained on basic ML and AI setup
All students will be trained on basic Olericulture production
Students will be trained also based on their units – technical, agronomy etc so they can manage the company on their own
Earn:
The students will earn a stipend during the 3 month of training
Accommodation is provided for 3months
Learn how to setup/manage greenhouses and hydroponics
Earn salaries from their company from the 4th month of inception from produce sales
Eligibility Criteria
You must be between 18 - 29 years at the time of application
Applications are for those who at the time of application are between the ages of 18 years and 29 years for males and 18 years and 35 years for females. Those who are outside this age range will not be considered for admission.
Genuine interest in Olericulture
Olericulture is the process of growing vegetables – this could be leaf or fruit-bearing vegetables. You must have a genuine interest in growing vegetables and working with vegetables.
Available for 12 weeks of physical training
The physical training on the farm is for 12 weeks (3 months) and this training cannot be done online or virtually. As an applicant, you must be able to commit fully to being on the farm for 12 weeks and participating in all the activities on the farm.
You must be physically and mentally fit to work with a team on the farm
As an applicant, you must be someone who has the mental capacity to work on the farm and to work with others. The training allows for those who live with a disability, we, however, need it written in the provided space during the application, so we are able to adequately prepare for you. You must be someone who has developed the ability to work with others, as we are focused on building a team and not individual heroes.
Willingness to work and live within the project location (Awowo, Abeokuta, Ogun state)
You must be willing to relocate to Kurere village, Awowo, Ewekoro LGA, Ogun state. This is physical training, and it cannot be attended by proxy, so as an applicant you must be willing to live within the farm during the training. In addition, at the end of the training, participants get to have 3 plots of hydroponics farms to manage as a cluster, therefore everyone must be willing to continue to live within the farm environment so they can continue to manage their farms.
You don’t have a criminal record
The program is not open to anyone who has a criminal record, for anyone who applies, and we find out that those who have a criminal record will be expelled immediately from the partnership.
Willingness to adhere to and respect the rules and regulations of the project and its location
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