If you can think it, you can do it: The story of Lizzy Idoko

Start a dialogue!

Young people in Africa should be encouraged to take part in Agriculture. This is a growing sector in need of young innovative minds to help improve the economy of African countries as well as create job opportunities.

Lizzy Idoko is a young Nigerian female farmer, who has taken an initiative to improve Irish potatoes farming in Nigeria with hopes to eventually expand globally. Lizzy is a university graduate of History and International Relations from Veritas University (The Catholic University of Nigeria), who took up farming as a side initiative while pursuing her career in her graduate field.

Lizzy’s farmland is called Crisp Farms and is located in Barkin-Ladi, Plataeu State, Nigeria. She has been operating on her farm for close to two years and has grown tremendously in her produce and market reach.

She was motivated to start farming potatoes as she has natural interest in farming, nutritional foods and her drive to have a positive impact in Nigeria’s economy. Lizzy said “I was motivated to start my farm so I can process Irish potatoes into value-chain products for nutritional purposes and to grow the Nigerian economy by reducing the importation of this finished products”.

On a daily basis, Lizzy’s farm activities include sorting, processing and packaging. She plants and harvests her potatoes, processes the harvested produce into finished products; like potatoes-chips, packages this and sells to a wide market. She sells her harvested Irish-potatoes both fresh and processed as chips, which makes extra profit for her business.

She targets to be at a reach to all Nigerians who can afford a meal a day, making the cost of her products at an affordable price and vastly available at consumer’s reach. With her main market in Plataeu, Makurdi and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigeria, she strives to reach a wider audience with the use of social media platforms, this way she is combining agriculture with ICT, a new age initiative.

Lizzy Idoko’s story shows that there is no age or gender limit in agriculture. Thus, this should be a motivation and encouragement to youths and females all over Africa to take part in Agriculture. Kudos to Lizzy Idoko.

If you can think it, you can do it. Take the initiative today.