On the 17th of April, 2024, Health of Mother Earth Foundation in collaboration with the GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance and the Network of Women and Youth in Agriculture held a practical training on Agroecology for farmers in Enugu State. This training focused on addressing the
issues of hunger and climate change which are compounded by the
existence of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Highly Hazardous
Pesticides (HHPs) in the agriculture system.
Farmers and Federal extension workers across the state participated in
the training which equipped them with the knowledge on agroecology to
enable them to meet the responsibility of producing safe, nutritious,
and culturally appropriate food in the face of the climate crises while
sustaining their livelihood. A total of 124 persons were in attendance –
some of whom are farmers of rice, cassava, mushroom, corn, vegetables,
yam, poultry, and fishery amongst others.
At the end of the training, farmers gained knowledge on how to produce
pesticides from the Neem plant, garlic, and chilli pepper; as well as
how to produce the Jeevramruth fertiliser using various locally sourced
materials including cow dung and urine, bananas, cowpea flour, etc.
Farmers also gained knowledge of agroforestry and how to promote
biodiversity, soil, and plant health on their farms. There was a lot of
emphasis on mixed cropping including by adding flowers and trees on the
farm as this increases productivity, and reduces the growth of weeds, as
well as the use of chemicals on the farm.
One key question that was addressed by the farmers was: “is it really
possible for Nigeria to improve and sustain agricultural productivity
based on agroecological principles – excluding GMOs and inorganic
chemicals?” About 90% of the farmers maintained that it was possible
stating that what is primarily required is a change of mindset and for
us to revisit the age-long practices of mixed cropping, use of cover
crops, crop rotation, biological pest management, etc which ensure
optimum production of healthy and nutritious foods. The main issue of
concern for the other 10% was on how to practice agroecology/produce
organic inputs on large scale. It was explained, however, that
Agroecology can be practiced on a large scale as is already exemplified
by the farm at Be the Help Foundation in Yangoje, Abuja.
Farmers can either produce organic fertilisers and pesticides on their
own using locally available materials or work in cooperatives to do so.
Also, it was noted that already there are companies like the SCL
Agroindustrial Farm, in Kwali, Abuja who produce these organic inputs
for sale.
It was noted that GMOs and inorganic pesticides are promoted in Nigeria
and other parts of Africa based on the false premise that they would
ensure food security. However, in almost a decade since the introduction
of GMOs in Nigeria, Nigeria still struggles with food insecurity. GMOs
are not the solution to food insecurity. People are not hungry for lack
of food but for lack of means to get the food.
One of the participants during the session, Mrs Asogwa Juliet noted that
GMOs may look to have some advantages but they also had serious
disadvantages – adding that from experience, the crops performed poorly
after the first planting season.
This underscores one of the major concerns with GMOs – that of control
over food systems as farmers are forced to go back to the corporations
to purchase new seeds every planting season. Mrs Asogwa noted that the
best type of Agriculture was that which was aligned with Nature.
Other implications of GMOs in Nigeria that were highlighted include loss
of biodiversity and nutritional diversity, soil degradation, as well as
health complications.
Farmers were encouraged to stop the use of inorganic fertilisers and
pesticides on their farms. According to a report by the Alliance for
Action on Pesticides in Nigeria – more than 50% of registered pesticides
in Nigeria are Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) and over 40% of the
registered active pesticides in Nigeria are already banned in the EU and
other countries of the world for not meeting safety standards.
Besides the health implications, the use of these pesticides present
economic challenges for Nigeria – Over 76% of Nigeria’s food exports are
rejected in the EU and Asia for not meeting safety standards.
Agricultural products like beans, sesame seeds, melon seeds, dried fish,
dried meat, peanut ships, groundnut, palm oil and yam, exported from
Nigeria have in the past 10 years been banned by the EU partly due to
the presence of dangerous pesticide residues.
The participants deeply appreciated the training, noting that it would
remove the cost of purchasing chemicals, and create a space for them on
the value chain where they can produce their own organic fertilisers and
sell to others.
Some of the farmers and groups like the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD) promised to step down the training to
other farmers in their communities. Also, 36 of the farmers signed up to
join the GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance.
Action Points:
# The Federal Government of Nigeria should ban the use of GMOs and
ensure the preservation of local/natural seed varieties.
# Government should increase support for farmers through timely
provision of needed infrastructure, access to credit and access to land
especially for women.
# The Government through the Ministry of Agriculture should support and
promote agreocology including by ensuring access to organic fertilisers
and pesticides and quality seeds.
#The Federal Ministry of Agriculture should collaborate with
organisations like HOMEF and Be the Help Foundation to organise more
training on production of organic pesticides and fertilisers and on how
to improve productivity using agroecological principles.
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