bunmi.ajilore

My journey into the field of agriculture was an accident. I was an academic refugee.

Growing up, based on my social background, I had only two views of agriculture; one, as a means of livelihood for villagers with little education (and large areas of land), and the other as a pastime for educated city folks – with probable village backgrounds – who need something to fill their downtime or who grow part of their food to augment their inadequate income.

Some weeks back, while trying to buy roasted corn from an open market seller during a long wait for an inter-city bus to fill up, I met an elderly cotton farmer who was overly impressed when I jokingly called myself a farmer.

I had been negotiating with the corn seller, who was apparently – because of the young, urban professional image I projected to her – trying to rip me off. At that point, as I am inclined to do in such situations, I jokingly declared myself a modern farmer and displayed the market price knowledge of what I wanted to buy. She was stunned.

My journey into the field of agriculture was an accident. I was an academic refugee.

Growing up, based on my social background, I had only two views of agriculture; one, as a means of livelihood for villagers with little education (and large areas of land), and the other as a pastime for educated city folks – with probable village backgrounds – who need something to fill their downtime or who grow part of their food to augment their inadequate income.

Some weeks back, while trying to buy roasted corn from an open market seller during a long wait for an inter-city bus to fill up, I met an elderly cotton farmer who was overly impressed when I jokingly called myself a farmer.

I had been negotiating with the corn seller, who was apparently – because of the young, urban professional image I projected to her – trying to rip me off. At that point, as I am inclined to do in such situations, I jokingly declared myself a modern farmer and displayed the market price knowledge of what I wanted to buy. She was stunned.