CSOs seek FG’s adoption of agroecology to tackle food insecurity, climate change
Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, in Nigeria have advised the federal government to adopt agroecology as a sustainable farming system that will engender food security as well as mitigate the impact of climate change. They added that attention should be on the restoration of the soil using the agroforestry model, planting nitrogen-fixing crops, and flowers to draw insects away from food crops. This was contained in a communique issued at the end of a practical Agroecology Training by the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, in collaboration with Be the Help Foundation(BHF) for CSOs/Trainers held at BHF Agroforestry Farm, Kwali, Abuja. The forum noted that the two major crises of hunger and climate change that the world is grappling with are caused by the industrial model of agriculture, saying the transition to the Agroecology system of farming is important at this time. They urged the government to equip farmers with adequate knowledge of agroecology to enable them continuously meet the responsibility of producing safe, nutritious and culturally adapted food in the face of the climate crises while sustaining their livelihood as well. According to the communique, "The government should endorse and adopt agroecology as the sustainable farming system in Nigeria which will not only ensure food security but also bring about food sovereignty while improving adaptation to climate change. "The CSOs, the government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, to partner with groups like HOMEF and the BHF to set up agroecology demonstration farms in communities and extend the knowledge/practice of agroecology to more farmers/communities across the country. "In setting up agroecology farms, it is important to engage the community where it is situated and ensure they are at the centre of the project; endeavour to add employment from within the community and carry them along in the process to mitigate and eradicate any crisis." The CSOs while highlighting the dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms, GMOs, and inorganic pesticides commended the House of Representatives for the move to probe the approval of GMOs in Nigeria even as they called for a proper examination of the root causes of food insecurity in Nigeria and direct measures to address them. They also called on the government, at federal, state and local government levels, to do more in monitoring seeds and chemicals that farmers are given.