Cornell Award Honors Nigerian GFN Member

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Global Farmer Network member Patience Koku from Nigeria recently was the worthy recipient of The Cornell Alliance for Science Farmer of the Year award.  Congratulations, Patience!

 

Patience Koku: 2018 Farmer of the Year

Jan 3, 2019 – By Joan Conrow

After building a successful career in Nigeria’s fashion industry, Patience Koku found herself disillusioned, unfulfilled. So she turned instead to farming.

Though Koku has found it far more satisfying to produce food than purses and shoes, she’s also encountered significant challenges, ranging from weeds, insect pests and erratic weather to outmoded agricultural policies that inhibit access to mechanization and good seeds.

Koku responded to these roadblocks with the same entrepreneurial approach that helped her excel in fashion — persistence, a commitment to success and a willingness to try new things. As a result, her Replenish Farms has become a model for good agricultural practices. Now she’s traveled the world for calling for greater access to innovation, especially in developing nations…

Read morehttps://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2019/01/patience-koku-2018-farmer-year/

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Video:

The Cornell Alliance for Science – January 2, 2019

Patience Koku, 2018 Alliance for Science Farmer of the Year, discusses how she uses her entrepreneurial skills on the farm, and talks about the value of adopting GMO crops in Nigeria.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7T09ymZrb4#action=share

Onyaole Patience Koku
WRITTEN BY

Onyaole Patience Koku

Patience Koku is serving the GFN as Regional Lead: Africa. Patience's farm is located on the Jere Azara irrigation scheme, Kagarko Local government, in Kaduna State Nigeria. The farm produces two crops annually under center pivot irrigation. They grow mostly seed corn and corn grain for major food processing companies in Nigeria, like Flour Mills of Nigeria. She is the recipient of the 2019 Kleckner Award from the Global Farmer Network and 2018 Cornell Alliance For Science Farmer of the year. She also serves on the Cornell Alliance For Science advisory board. In her time as a member of the GFN, she has advocated on major stages.

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