ABUAD annually organizes what has become one of the largest agricultural exhibitions in Africa, The Afe Babalola Agricultural Exposition (ABAEX) which began in October 2012 and still in operation till 2021.
The vision of the Founder of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) for ABAEX is to improve the lots of rural farmers in Ekiti State in the area of farm productivity through the utilization of modern agricultural technologies for increased food production that will translate into better living conditions for the farmers and reduction in poverty in the rural communities of Ekiti State. There have been eight consecutive Afe Babalola Agricultural Expositions. In the October 2019 edition (The Guardian, THISDAY) where the Founder and Chancellor of ABUAD gave out Cash awards to forty-eight (48) farmers from the sixteen local government areas of Ekiti State totaling N5.6 million, while the overall best farmer in Ekiti State received N1 million. The 2020 edition could not hold because of Covid-19 challenges. The last edition was held in September, 2021 (Afe Babalola doles out N13.2m to Ekiti State farmers).
BRIEF BACKGROUND OF ABAEX
The vision of ABA-EX, under the sole sponsorship of Aare Afe Babalola, is to promote and encourage excellence and sustainable agricultural output performance amongst farmers in Ekiti State. The initiative was launched in October 2012. ABAEX has been implemented for seven consecutive years. The intention of the sponsor is to galvanize grassroots’ production of food on a larger scale in all the nooks and cranny of Ekiti State. There has been increased value addition activity across all agricultural products coupled with the integration of modern technologies, as local farmers have become motivated through financial empowerment for transforming local production processes into modernized, productive and competitive enterprise to feed Ekiti and Nigeria as a whole. This is the seventh year of continuous sponsorship of this agricultural initiative by the Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD).
Strategic objectives:
- In a bid to complement the effort of the government towards reshaping the economic narratives of our great country, the last seven years of ABA-EX has recorded huge financial investment in certain category of local farmers in the state in order to foster huge turnarounds of local production of major food items in order to improve the lots of farmers in Ekiti State and thereby enhancing food security in the country.
- Just like in the past years since 2012, in 2021, the Founder extended his financial benevolence across the sixteen local government areas of the state to award cash gifts to the best, second best and third best farmers for their exploits in improved farming endeavors leading towards greater agricultural productivity with provable yields.
- During the ninth edition of ABA-EX 2021, forty-eight (48) farmers in Ekiti State received a total cash reward of N13.2 million and the overall best farmer in Ekiti State received N2 million.
- With the great success recorded over the past years and more particularly in 2019, 2020, and 2021 the Founder has promised 100% increase in the cash prizes in 2022 for the overall best farmer in Ekiti State, as well as those who win the First, second and third prizes in the sixteen local government areas.
- What this translates to is that, many more farmers will work harder to increase their farm area and productivity, thereby improving the lots of rural farmers and increasing food security in Ekiti State and in Nigeria in general.
