Schools across Kwara State are to begin cultivating orchards after the state government distributed more than 14,000 tree seedlings to 255 institutions.
The scheme, launched in Ilorin on Monday, is part of the federal government’s Food Systems Transformation Pathways agenda and is being carried out with the Agro-Climate Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes project.
Primary, secondary and tertiary schools will receive cocoa, cashew, oil palm and orange seedlings. Officials say the orchards will be used for both teaching and income generation, while also serving as research plantations for higher institutions.
Commissioner for Planning and Economic Development, Dr Mary Ronke Arinde, said the project would give students practical lessons in agriculture and could, in time, provide revenue for schools.
Education Commissioner Dr Lawal Olalekan Olohungbebe added that preserving school trees would help protect learning environments and safeguard public investment.
A monitoring committee has been set up to oversee the trees, while teachers received training on how to care for the seedlings to ensure long-term sustainability.
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