THE BRIDGE BETWEEN PASSION AND VISION

My Horticulture Story

Wait a minute!

What thoughts flashed through your mind at the sight of the headline? Yes, the headline perfectly portrays my intertwined affection towards the agricultural branch of horticulture. Horticulture in its simplest terms means the "cultivation of a garden". This meaning was coined from the Latin words 'hortus' meaning garden and 'colere' which means cultivate.

Horticulture has been practised as far back as the dark ages and has witnessed a series of transitions of human communities from nomadic lifestyles of hunting and gathering through semi-sedentary to horticultural societies and now modern/urban lifestyles. The branch of Agriculture that reflects the art, science, technology and business of plant cultivation is horticulture and is further categorized into four broad classes namely Pomology (study of fruits and nuts), Floriculture (study of flowers and ornamentals), Olericulture (study of vegetables and food crops), & Arboriculture (Landscaping horticulture).

Given the above background, I will waste no time delving into sharing my short story of how I fell in love with horticulture and have developed an even deeper connection with it beyond passion. My vision of transforming the horticultural landscape of Nigeria and Africa by extension. This quest was further strengthened by the realization of how the larger society misconstrues 'Horticulture' as the cultivation of flowers alone, and perhaps landscaping in addition. This is a big misconception as horticulture also involves the cultivation of vegetables, fruit-, food crops and ornamentals - all of which are important in ensuring food security and by extension achieving SDG 2 - Zero Hunger.

Growing up in the remote town of Itowo, Ijebu-Igbo, I used to follow my dad to the family farm ('Aba' in Yoruba). The enthusiasm that comes with going to the farm as a child was one to relish and fascinating because asides from the many benefits that come with going to the farm, we also get to enjoy the beautiful morning ride to the farm including the gallops and we felt sad if we don't get the chance to and always pine for the next visit. Although growing up, I was not accustomed to flower cultivation and gardening, rather, I had a general intimation with Agriculture (plants like cassava, melon, maize, and plantain). Placing the cut cassava stems or two/three grains of maize in the holes used to be fun. Little did I realize that I was in reality practising agriculture; as a child, it was another form of home escape. Fast forward to my high school days, I would gladly embrace the idea of nursing young plants from stem cuttings (especially West Indian forma-an indigenous flower species) for hedges, and the whole experience of monitoring the plants' growth development is such a wonderful sight to behold.

As anyone may imagine, Agriculture is as broad as you can imagine. However, in this industry, lies the goldmine for the future of Africa which is yet to be tapped. The Agriculture industry has been said to be worth over a trillion dollars and this makes it one industry worth placing a bet on in the long term. As for me, my appreciation of natural aesthetics coupled with my passion to end hunger for all has given me the wherewithal to pursue my current career path - HORTICULTURE as a Business.

There's no gainsaying the fact that I am addicted to horticulture as evidenced in my academic pursuits which aim to gain the requisite knowledge and skills needed to disrupt the horticultural industry in Nigeria and Africa by extension leveraging on the model adopted by the leading Horticultural industries in the world (such as Holland, Poland, USA to name a few). The space is wide enough to accommodate every player who is looking to proffer solutions to one of the world's biggest problems - Hunger, and those willing to tap into this industry by way of investment.

As a consequence, don't blame me for being addicted to horticulture. Along this journey, I would gladly appreciate offers of mentorship, collaborations, projects, business proposals, and sharing of useful resources that will be highly valuable to achieve this big vision.

You can watch out for my amazing, well-curated content series that will seek to inform and succinctly present the various aspects of horticulture across diverse backgrounds, plant species and cultivar and most importantly not forgetting to display the inherent beauty and aesthetic appreciation of this noble industry.

Cheers and thanks for reading!??

#YourfavouriteHorticulturist??