Samson Ogbole, an innovative farmer championing soilless farming
Samson Ogbole is the Founder and Team Leader of Eupepsia Place Limited, a soilless farm lab where technology is used as an enabler for agriculture, growing plants in the air and using AI based irrigation systems for proper plant monitoring for optimum yield and predictability of food production.
Ogbole believes that agriculture is more than just food production (zero hunger), it is the foundation for sustainable development, job creation (no poverty), healthier living as well as national development. Thus, agriculture should adopt the business mindset, technology, automation, precision, data and be climate smart.
To Ogbole, food production should not be seasonal because hunger is not seasonal. He has devoted his time and resources to building modern farms, exploring the latest technologies for agriculture, sharing and training others to adopt “the modern agriculture” to ensure that agriculture is used as a tool to build the nation we desire.
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Ogbole’s Soilless Farm Lab is built on less than a hectare and has access to five hundred hectares through farmers that he trains. He grows a variety of vegetables and other plants in the air using AI based irrigation systems for proper plant monitoring for optimum yield and predictability of food production.
Some advantages of soilless farming outlined by Ogbole are that the running costs are cheaper, although the start-up capital is higher. Farmers can grow crops all year around and he believes that the farming method is healthier for farmers. Soilless farming also allows for vertical planting, requiring less space and land, and can be more profitable.
Ogbole completed a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Igbinedion University, a master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Ibadan, and currently a Biochemistry doctorate degree candidate at Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. He has other Certifications including Disruptive Strategy from Harvard Business School, Boston USA, Introduction to Food and Nutrition from Stanford University, Introduction to population health from The University of Manchester, Greening the Economy from Lund University Sweden, Sustainable Agriculture for year 2050 from Wageningen, Agro-ecology and Sustainable Agriculture from The University of Western Australia, and Public Health from University at Albany.
Ogbole is hopeful that more Nigerians will embrace soilless farms as the smart way to do farming, helping them maximize production without harming the environment and eliminate postharvest loss.
Ogbole is a two time TEDx speaker and a one-time TED speaker, he was recognized amongst the top 7 innovators in Africa in 2018 by CNN Africa, he was recognized by EFCC as one of the young and legitimate innovative minds in 2018, he was part of the Ogun state Investors Forum of 2018.
In 2019, Ogbole was named top 500 in food tech-prenerus by Forward Fooding, he was part of the Lagos Farmers’ Team who met and discussed with all gubernatorial aspirants for the 2019 elections to draw a road map for agriculture, he was also a part of the documentary – “Swallow – food security in Nigeria’s changing climate”.
In 2021, Ogbole was awarded a Royal African Award which is a recognition of the top 100 young Nigerians doing great things. Recently, he was nominated for the 2022 JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Nigeria award in the Scientific and Technology Development category.
Ogbole’s creativity and entrepreneurial drive has had him featured on CNN’s African Voices, BBC, BBC Yoruba, Reuters TV, Channels TV and other major news tabloids in Nigeria. He is currently a member of the Royal Court of the Ooni of the Ife kingdom in Nigeria.