The Health of the Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has called on farmers to embrace agro-ecology, which utilizes organic farm inputs that is less expensive and increase yields, compared to input based agriculture that uses inorganic or chemical materials that keep depleting the soil.
The Program Manager, HOMEF, Joyce Brown, while speaking at an Agro-ecology workshop organized for farmers at Yangogi Farms by the foundation, noted that the practice is meant to expose farmers to natural organic method of farming that is very independent of external inputs.
Agro-ecology is the application of ecological concepts and principals in farming, to promote farming practices that mitigate climate change, reducing emissions, recycling resources and prioritizing local supply chains.
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Brown noted that sustainable agriculture is possible with the production of safe and healthy food in a conserved environment, while calling on government to invest in agro-ecology and put an end to supporting introduction of GMO into Nigeria.
She added that agro-ecology will address challenges faced by farmers, especially with drought, pest and diseases among others, which promoters of GMOs and other method of farming under the industrial agriculture system used to put forward as defense.
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Also speaking was the Chief Operating Officer of Bethehead foundation, an agro forestry project in Damankosa village, Kwali Area council, Robert Kwasari, who disclosed that his farm was set up to change the narrative of conventional agriculture, which is input based.
He described agro-ecology as a zero budget farm which is a regenerative method of agriculture where everything happens naturally leading to farmers’ revenues increase from better yields as against the input based agriculture.
Mrs. Tejiri Nnena, a women land right advocate, and founder of women and youths in Agriculture in Nigeria, commented that the country is blessed with natural resources to balance agro ecological system, warning that “if we don’t reclaim our land, our land may reclaim us”.
