From Dirt to Delight: My Journey to Build a Greenhouse from Scratch

Sometimes, life doesn't always
present you with what you want; instead, it shows you what you need, who you need, and where you need to be in preparation for the future.

I believe that we don't just experience situations for the sake of witnessing them; I believe we experience things or situations in preparation for the future.

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I'm currently in my penultimate year, and in my institution of learning, all four-hundred level students are required to undergo a year of farm practice commonly called Farm Practice Year (FPY). However, for our group, things went differently.

A total of two hundred students were selected to complete their first three months at a location. We all signed up hoping the location would be within the school area, but unfortunately, we were all informed that we would be spending our first three months at an organization called Soiless Farm Lab, located in Awowo Community, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Even though I am a young woman who is very passionate about learning and exploring new things, the thought of leaving my comfort zone made me feel down and skeptical about going. However, there was no turning back since I had signed up for it myself.

We were sent a list of all the materials we needed to bring along. Since food is the most important need of life, the items listed included foodstuffs, cooking gas, pots, plates, and other utensils, as well as birth certificates, school ID cards, a few clothes, buckets, and of course, writing materials.

The journey began on Saturday, January 13th, 2024. It was an entirely different experience. While I have a phobia of traveling, my brilliant friend Haleemah, who sat beside me, was a great source of positive energy, and the journey didn't feel scary at all.

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We arrived at the location at exactly 4:00 PM and were searched by soldiers. Some kitchen utensils like knives and other sharp objects like scissors and pins were confiscated. After the search, we were all seated, and the registration process began. This was when I realized that there were other participants from different parts of the country, such as Niger State, Kano, Edo, Imo State, Ilorin, Lagos, and Oyo. There were close to 1,000 of us.

Due to the high number of participants, I was unable to finish my registration process on the day. Since it was getting dark, the registration process was postponed until the following Monday, and we were taken to a newly built hostel. The place was very clean, and there was a bed for each participant.

On Monday, I was able to complete my registration after undergoing blood and pregnancy tests. I was then given an ID card and farm kits, which included a reflective jacket, helmet, Crocs, a water bottle, and gloves.

On Tuesday, my journey with thirty-five other partners in my group began as we constructed four greenhouses in two weeks.

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The subsequent post will be a step by step on how a greenhouse can be constructed.