• Don, experts warn against GMOs, seek policy shift to agroecology
• Say Nigeria must adopt sustainable farming model to tackle food, climate crises

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has said that Nigeria cannot achieve its dream of food sovereignty without harnessing the potential of its youth in full capacity.

Country Director of IFAD, Dede Ekoue, said this in Benin yesterday, at the fifth supervision mission of the Federal Government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and IFAD—Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises —Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) Project.

Ekoue, who said LIFE-ND aimed at empowering youths and women with practical skills in agric business in the Niger Delta region, noted that to achieve this, the programme adopted a model where all trainees pass through what is referred to as incubation.

Ekoue said the fourth supervision of the project was to “assess progress, identify the challenges and opportunities for improvement, and to develop some recommendations for further enhancing.”

On his part, National Coordinator, LIFE-ND, Dr Abiodun Sanni, said the first phase of the programme, which covered six states — Ondo, Edo, Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Delta — of the region, had 26,470 beneficiaries, including young agro entrepreneurs, youths, women, and persons with disability.

Meanwhile, representative of the NDDC, Stella Manureh, said the LIFE-ND project “was a shared commitment to improving the lives of the Niger Delta people through food security.

RELATEDLY, agricultural and environmental experts have urged the Federal Government to shift its agricultural policy focus toward agroecology as a sustainable solution to Nigeria’s worsening food insecurity and climate challenges, warning against the continued adoption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the country.

The experts gave the charge in Ibadan during a one-day practical agroecology training for farmers.

Prof. Olugbenga Adeoluwa of the Department of Soil Resources Management, University of Ibadan (UI), who led the discussion, said agroecology, an approach that integrates ecological principles into farming, offers practical, low-cost solutions to the challenges posed by climate change.

Also speaking, Farm Manager, Production at Be the Help Foundation Agroforestry, Barnabas Iwan, said the approach helps farmers cut costs by producing organic fertilisers and bio-pesticides from local materials.

In her remark, Project Assistant at the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Esele Ojeanelo, warned against the growing use of GMOs in Nigeria, describing them as a threat to soil fertility, biodiversity, and human health.