Director of Research, National Horticultural Research Institute, NIHORT, Ibadan, Dr Olutola Oyedele has advised federal government to embark on massive enlightenment campaign on the need for every household to engage on home gardening.
Dr Oyedele gave the advice while speaking with Premier FM on the occasion of this year’s World Food Day, which is celebrated annually on the 16th of October.
The researcher who said the menace of food insufficiency in Nigeria was as a result of inflation, bad road network and hike in prices of production inputs, said the home gardening would allow families grow what they eat and meet their immediate food needs.
While commending the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme and other agricultural initiatives of the federal government, Dr Oyedele appealed to relevant authorities to subsidize fertilizers and other agricultural production inputs for farmers.
She said post harvest wastages of farm produce was a major challenge in Nigeria, calling for an holistic techniques to manage the losses which she said account for about sixty percent of food losses.
Dr Oyedele also advocated for low cottage processing industries in each local governments across the country where such industry would mop up wastages and process them for off season consumption.
16th of October every year is set aside to commemorate World Food Day. It is an International day marking the creation of the United NationsFood and Agriculture Organization in 1945, with a view to ending hunger and food security .
The theme “Water is Life, Water is Food. Leave No One Behind” for 2023 World Food Day showcases the importance of water in food production and, also, in ensuring the well-being of children. It is worthy to note that growing nutritious crops and raising healthy livestock, require clean water, while access to safe drinking water is equally important for children’s health and growth.
Water is essential to life and it makes up over 50% of our bodies and covers about 71% of the Earth’s surface while agriculture accounts for 72% of global freshwater withdrawals and water is a driving force for people, economies and nature and the foundation of our food.
Certainly, nutritious food is related to the well-being of children and adequate water resources are essential for agriculture, therefore water is necessary for irrigation, which helps farmers grow a variety of crops, including fruits, vegetables, and grains. These crops will promote growth and development of children. Parents should also know that shortage of clean water can lead to malnutrition as waterborne diseases can compromise children’s abilities to absorb nutrients from the food they consume, they must therefore ensure safe water sources for children.
In food processing and preparation, safe water is essential, and it is duty of parents and guardians that the food children consume is free from contaminants and safe for their health.
Also, access to safe drinking water is fundamental to maintaining children’s overall health, therefore, staying properly hydrated is necessary for their well-being and can help prevent seizures, urinary tract infections, kidney stones and even kidney failure, which are some dehydration-related illnesses.
Provision of clean water sources and adhere to proper sanitation and hygiene practices, can significantly reduce cases of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid fever, shigellosis, cholera, human enteritis, and cryptosporidiosis among children who are vulnerable to the diseases.
We should also note that children must have a consistent supply of clean water for their daily needs and agriculture, which contributes to long-term food security, therefore, we should manage water resources. In addition, access to adequate water for agriculture can reduce the need for child labour in many parts of the world. Agriculture has the highest number of child labourers globally and when there are functional water sources for irrigation, this can check child labour and children can attend schools regularly to achieve their dreams.
There should be more educative and enlightenment programmes for children on sustainable water management and agricultural practices.
The theme for the 2023 World Food Day points out the need for collective responsibilities in providing clean water, nutritious food, and education to children, and highlights the importance of sustainability and equity in managing water resources to ensure that no child is left behind in their access to these fundamental necessities.
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Oyo State Government has celebrated farmers in the state on the commemoration of World Food Day, noting that farmers have shown resilience in the face of unfriendly weather and national security concerns.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Honourable Adeniyi Olabode Adebisi, while speaking on behalf of the state government, assured residents of food sufficiency, irrespective of climatic factors which affect farm production.
Adebisi gave the assurance in commemoration of the 2022 World Food Day themed “Leave No One Behind”, in a statement made available to
newsmen in Ibadan on Sunday, indicating the day as one of the most celebrated days by the United Nations which is saddled with world affairs.
He added in the statement that food, clothing and shelter were the basic necessities of life and if food is excluded might lead to famine and chaos in any society.
He however expatiated that due to the availability of large arable land mass in the state, the administration, under the leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde has embarked upon expansion of the economy through agribusiness, security, health; and education, urging farmers to continue to adopt the State Government’s approach to agriculture for sustenance and productivity.
According to him, “the Nigerian economy has worsened since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 which was an abnormal year due to the lockdown imposed for safety, but nevertheless, the State Government under the able leadership of Governor Seyi Makinde has been working tirelessly to stabilize all sectors.
“The period posed a great challenge to all public officers who had to adjust their live styles to avoid famine which is the overall effect of unavailability of food, today Oyo State has shown other States good examples of how to survive global economic hardship by using agriculture as a succour and this is reflected in the theme of this year’s World Food Day as no one has been left behind in the journey to navigate through global economic hardship to prosperity in our State.”
“We are using this period to appreciate our farmers for their resilience in the face of the aforementioned crisis as their contributions towards surviving the trial period and coming out to be one of the best States with the best revenue generation cannot be undervalued,” he mentioned.
The Commissioner also noted that training had been held for farmers who in turn enlightened others about the need to improve productivity by applying necessary inputs including fertilizers to their farms to yield a high volume of production.
Globally, millions of people celebrate World Food Day by organizing fora on sensitization on eating a balanced diet, especially in Nigeria where inflation and high cost of food are causing hunger and malnutrition, and the Northern area of the country where an insurgency has affected free conduct of economic activities like farming and trading.
Oluwakayode Banjo
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Stakeholders in the Agriculture sector in Ondo State have called for the provision of enhanced security and a good road network to boost food sufficiency as this year’s World Food Day is being commemorated.
Speaking with Radio in Akure, the Chairman, Ondo State Agricultural Commodities Association, OSACA, Mr Oluwagbemiga Obaweya and a farmer, Pastor Hezekiah Omojola maintained that healthy diets could hardly be achieved with the current insecurity and global warming challenges
The farmers, therefore, encouraged the government to ensure a better security system, a good road network and also provide farm inputs at subsidised rates
However, a retired Permanent Secretary, Agric Inputs Supply Agency, Mr Lanke Olamisegbe said the government had been enhancing food sufficiency through the provision of numerous inputs to farmers but supported the need to beef up security in the country.
Meanwhile, the Ondo State Amotekun Corps Commander, Chief Adetunji Adeleye has encouraged members of the public especially farmers to promptly report any threat to security agencies in their domains
The theme for this year’s World Food Day which is ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’ stresses that production and consumption of safe food have “immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet, and the economy”
World Food Day is celebrated every October 16 to promote global awareness about the day and ensure healthy diets for all with the projection to eradicate hunger by 2030.
The Day was originally founded by the United Nations in 1945 and First commemorated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation in 1979.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has solicited the collaboration of well meaning individuals and organisations in the efforts to fight hunger and malnutrition in the Country. Governor Abiodun who made the appeal at a ceremony to commemorate World Food Day, held at the Arcade ground, Oke Mosan Abeokuta maintained that ensuring food sufficiency remained a global challenge.
The Governor, who said the theme for this year’s celebration “Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together” , was appropriate to the country’s peculiar circumstances, lamented that many people could not afford one meal in a day.
He promised that enhancing the availability of safe food would continue to be an essential part of his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for the poor and vulnerable groups. While explaining that his adminstration had facilitated CBN’s credit facilities to over 10,000 farmers across the State, the governor urged all stakeholders to ensure the provision of wholesome food to nourish and sustain the people. Earlier, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Adeola Odedina said that the state Governor had introduced reforms for improved access to land to ease Agricultural Business in the State. Dr Odedina explained that as part of plans to confront the challenges in the Agriculture sector, the present administration had cleared 2500 hectares of land for 1, 065 young cassava farmers in the state.
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate World Food Day, government, well-meaning individuals and other stakeholders have been advised to help the poor to eradicate hunger in society.
Correspondent Mojisola Oladele completes the story
