Agricultural experts have called for upscaling of organic, agroecology practices in Nigeria, saying they are key to healthy living for the populace and environment.
They also observed that most chemicals used by farmers are killing Nigerians daily, even when people try to use herbs to cure sicknesses; they still run into trouble because those ones are also contaminated.
The experts who spoke a seminar organised by the Organic and Agroecology Initiative (ORAIN), in conjunction with Organic and Agroecology Innovation Platform (OAIP), demanded the need for the supply of the various products to the market.
The convener, Journalists Go Organic Initiative, Mrs Ebere Agozie, called for caution when purchasing consumables, noting that people are unwittingly serving deadly meals to families.
Agozie regretted that some Nigerians, especially women, poison the families with the meal they served as most of the farm produce purchased are laced with toxins, recalling how she was hospitalised for three days after consuming vegetables suspected to have been cultivated with chemical fertilisers.
The convener called for stringent punishment for importers and sellers of these poisonous chemicals, adding that many studies have shown that exposure to various environmental pollutants, such as pesticides, is associated with increasing prevalence of cases of cancer and solid tumours.
According to her, this is particularly among individuals with occupational exposure, such as agricultural workers, adding that a study by Heinrich Boll Foundation had revealed that some hazardous pesticides banned in Europe are being used in Nigeria, thereby leaving their toxic residues on our farm produce.
“Nigeria, along with other low and middle income countries, has become a dumping ground for big Europe-based agrochemical companies exporting banned toxic pesticides for profit at the risk of lives and the environment.”
A Professor of Soil Fertility, University of Ibadan, Prof. Olugbenga AdeOluwa, who moderated the seminar, added that farmers need to be trained and certified in organic farming practices to meet the growing demand.
Also, AdeOluwa observed that Nigerian producers are seeking ways to expand the export as consumers pay more attention to health, saying, the country has been making money producing organically grown crops for European markets, where demand for healthier food has been rapidly growing.
“They do not only ensure food sufficiency but are also effective in the restoration of our health, and that of the environment. Something can be sufficient and not efficient but organic and agroecology practices are all encompassing, so let us go back to what our forefathers use to do, and they lived longer and healthier,” he stressed.
Another discussant, Director, University Health Services, University of Ibadan, Dr Aderonke Ajav, noted that consumers are now increasingly prioritising food safety, environmental concern, and health consciousness when making purchasing decisions. She called for produce promotion and collaborations between farmers, academia, media, and government policies to help enhance the benefits of organic produce.
