OKPEBHOLO’S AGRICULTURAL REBIRTH: HOW EARLY REFORMS, SECURITY GAINS & INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWAL PREPARED EDO FOR A NEW ERA OF MECHANISED FARMING
Government House Newsletter
29th November, 2025
Edo State’s historic launch of its largest agricultural mechanisation programme did not happen by chance. It is the outcome of one year of deliberate reforms, courageous decisions, and strategic investments that have steadily repositioned the state from uncertainty to renewed economic confidence. Governor Monday Okpebholo’s agricultural revival agenda began long before the arrival of the newly unveiled tractors—it started with a bold resolve to rebuild security, restore trust, and reengineer the entire farming ecosystem.
Reclaiming Rural Communities Through Security Reforms
When Governor Okpebholo assumed office, the agricultural landscape was crippled by insecurity. Farmers had abandoned farmlands, communities were shrinking economically, and food prices were rising sharply. The Governor understood that no meaningful agricultural programme could succeed where farmers felt unsafe and markets remained disconnected from production centres.
His administration therefore began with decisive security reforms:
Reactivation of the Anti-Kidnapping Law
Strengthening of community-based security partnerships
Closer collaboration with federal security agencies
These efforts led to a gradual but steady reclamation of rural spaces once overrun by criminal elements. Farmers in Esanland, Akoko-Edo, Ovia, and parts of Uhunmwonde began returning to farmlands that had been abandoned for several seasons. For many, this was the first sign that a new agricultural philosophy was emerging—one rooted in safety, resilience and institutional clarity.
Infrastructure Renewal: Reconnecting the Food Chain
Parallel to the security reforms was an aggressive investment in rural infrastructure, especially the roads that connect farming clusters to markets. Governor Okpebholo’s rural road drive—opening feeder roads, rehabilitating long-neglected corridors, and linking production belts to major consumption hubs—dramatically reduced travel time and post-harvest losses.
These improvements rekindled interest in:
Cassava farming
Oil palm cultivation
Animal husbandry
Emerging agro-processing ventures
Farmers who once cultivated only for subsistence began thinking commercially again.
A Psychological Shift Toward Large-Scale Farming
The combined effect of the security gains and infrastructure renewal led to a quiet but powerful psychological shift across the agricultural sector. Confidence gradually returned. Farmers who previously planted only for survival renewed their ambition for commercial-scale production. Communities that had lost hope began to witness economic activity returning to their farmlands.
This transformation set the perfect foundation for the state's new era of mechanised farming—an era now symbolised by the deployment of modern tractors and mechanisation equipment across Edo’s agricultural corridors.
