Agriculture & Forestry

Departments
Post Graduate Programmes
Researches
Linkages

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry has the following Departments, each mandated by law to award specific certificates:
¨ Department of Animal Science
¨ Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension
¨ Department of Agronomy
¨ Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Science
¨ Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management
The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry has the following Post Graduate Programmes, each mandated by law to award specific certificates:
¨ Animal Science: PGD, Agric (Animal Science), and M.Sc.
¨ Agricultural Economics and Extension: PGD, Agric (Agricultural Economics), M. Sc.
¨ Agronomy: PGD, Agric (Agronomy), M. Sc., PhD.
¨ Fisheries and Aquatic Science: PGD, M.Sc., PhD
¨ Forestry and Wildlife: PGD, MSc.
The Faculty is noted for its hard working and dedicated members of the academic staff. The Ene-Obong administration introduced the Convocation Research Exhibition in 2009 during which the Faculty won a trophy as the Best Faculty in Research. The Faculty has recorded a major breakthrough in Fisheries where it successfully tested pawpaw seed powder as anti-fertility agent for use in the control of the prolific breeding habits of tilapia fish in ponds. The goal of the project was to improve adult table sizes of the specie. The Raw Material Research Development Council (RMRDC) has indicated interest in adopting and financing the project on a large scale using different species of pawpaw seed. In the Department of Animal Science, two species of cattle were successfully crossbred and an improved hybrid specie combining the good qualities of both was produced. Below are some of the research projects successfully conducted by lecturers in the Faculty

Researches
Ayotunde, Ezekiel O. and Offem, Benedict O. “Acute and chronic toxicity of pawpaw (carica papaya) seed powder to nile tilapia (oreochromis niloticus) (linne 1757) adults.” Correspondence
author’s E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Phone: 08055930219.

¨ Okoi, Okoi E. and Offem, B. O. “Solar fish dryer using local materials.” A low cost- solar drier that uses convection integrated with heat storage mechanism was developed for fish drying in rural communities under high quality working environment. ¨ Akpet, S. O., Meremikwu, V. N., Bikom P. M. and Gboshe, P. N. “Improvement in the growth performance of indigenous cattle.” The research exploited the large size of the white Fulani bull and the trypno-resistant potential of the black muturu cow to cross the two species at the teaching and research farms of the Obubra Campus. The offspring “keteku” expressed the phenotypic colour of both parents; black patches on white background, and hybrid vigour higher than that of the mother in size.

¨ The Department of Forestry and Wildlife successfully produced mosquito incense made from purely Nigerian insecticide herbs: scent leaf or ntöng (ocimum gratissimum).
¨ The Department also produced pesticides (kerosene emulsifiable concentrate) by mixing kerosene, detergent and water at appropriate ratios, which were sprayed (using knapsack spray guns) on leaves, herbs, shrubs and trees.

Ongoing Researches

The Faculty is working on, among other research projects:
1. The “Utilization and Reproductive Performance of Poultry and Swine-fed Moringa oleifera as a solution to the high cost of commercial feeds in Nigeria which has, in the last two and a half decades, led to widespread bankruptcy and flock liquidation in the country’s livestock industry.

2. Comparative Analysis of Maize Production Using Moringa oleifera leaves (organic manure) and NPK inorganic fertilizers in Cross River State. The broad objective of the study is to provide the economic evaluation of soil fertility replenishing technologies (use of Moringa oleifera organic manure and NPK inorganic fertilizer). The specific objectives is to:
i. Evaluate the adoption of the technology, if it will improve
household income.
ii. Ascertain if production efficiency will be enhanced.
iii. Evaluate the cost and benefits of each of the technology.
iv. Moringa oleifera leaves as alternative protein source for fish.
Linkages

The Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry is linked to a number of national and international bodies and programmes as one way of improving the quality of its graduates.

Cornell University, United States of America, has linked the Faculty to the Essential Electronic Agricultural Library. It is a digital collection of research Journals, a CD-ROM Library of over 140 of the world’s most important scientific journals in the field of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It is an important resource base for our Faculty. The Faculty can access thousands of full-text PDF articles without the use of the Internet.

The Faculty is now one of the six incubation centres in the country for the second phase of the China-Nigeria South-South Cooperation Programme. It is the centre for the implementation of the tripartite agreement of the Federal Government with FAO and the Government of China in support of the National Special Programme for Food Security. The objective of the Programme is to utilize International experience for integrated farming practices in Nigeria to maximize use of existing facilities, strengthen the effectiveness of research and extension services and train and educate farmers for effective utilization of available land, water and other resources. The Faculty is also accommodating the FADAMA Project of the Federal Government which makes available some mechanized farming implements and equipment such as earth movers to rural farmers. The Programme also provides improved varieties of crops to the farmers in an effort to increase agricultural output across the country.

In the second quarter of 2013 the Faculty received some computers, V-sat and accessories from the Universal Services Provision Fund (USPF) for the establishment of an ICT Library. These facilities have linked the campus to the Internet.