By Dafe Favour
No fewer than 20 groups and over 70 stakeholders, environmental activists and climate crusaders have canvassed the adoption of agro-ecological practices in Nigeria’ farming communities to boost food sovereignty and security in Nigeria and by extension the African Continent.
The groups made the call recently in a communiqué after this year’s National Stakeholders’ Conference on Agro-ecology in Port Harcourt, Rivers State with the theme: Advancing Agro-ecology Principles and Practice for Food Sovereignty in Nigeria, stressing that global agricultural systems have been under increasing pressure to meet growing food demands.
They argued that this pressure remains high in Nigeria due to the country purportedly high population indices, coupled with climate change impacts, declining soil fertility, inadequate support for farmers and insecurity.
“As we grapple with these challenges, we must ensure that whatever actions we take are such that they address the core barriers to food productivity and that they ensure environmental sustainability, public health and economic resilience for smallholder farmers.
“Agro-ecology presents viable solutions to these interconnected challenges by emphasising ecological balance, biodiversity, farmer empowerment and food sovereignty. The shift toward agro-ecology and organic agriculture is gaining momentum in Nigeria with the active support of civil society, public institutions and farmer-led initiatives.
“However, there is a need for cohesiveness of efforts to ensure not only the adoption of agro-ecological practices but also an enabling policy environment as well as relevant research,” the communiqué stated.
The communiqué was endorsed by the Organic and Agroecological Initiative (ORAIN), Federation of Agricultural Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN), Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), GOTOMO Farms, Africa Projects Development Center, Urban-Rural Environmental Defenders (U-RED), Be The Help Foundation, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Center and Ubuntu Environmental Development Foundation.
Others are the Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Women Environment Programme (WEP), Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research, Network of Women and Youth in Agriculture, Women and Children Life Advancement Initiative, Youth for Environmental Sustainability and Development, GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance, Youth in Agroecology and Restoration Network (YARN), Gender & Environmental Risk Reduction Initiative (GIERI) and Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF).
The national conference brought together key actors in the agro-ecology and organic agriculture space, including farmers, researchers, civil society organizations (CSOs), youth and women’s groups, policy advocates and media practitioners for a full day of dialogue, knowledge exchange, and strategic planning. The conference also featured a report on the progress of Agroecology and Organic Agriculture in Nigeria.
Specifically, the conference showcased and discussed the current state of agroecology and organic agriculture in Nigeria; fostered collaboration among farmers, CSOs,
government ministries, academics and the media; identified policy gaps and opportunities to scale agroecological and organic practices; and exposed false solutions to the food and climate challenges.
They also observed that agroecological practices could increase food sovereignty, which, beyond food security, protect and promote the right of choice and control by local communities and people of their seeds and foods, as well as assure healthy and culturally appropriate nutrition, increased crop diversity, improved soil health by enhancing and improving soil microbial populations, climate change mitigation through reduced emissions from industrial processes, climate change resilience through biological diversity and empowerment of local communities.
“Success stories abound on how agroecology can transform food systems, for instance, in the introduction of drought-resistant orange-fleshed sweet potatoes in Pelungu, Ghana, improved food security and nutrition in a dryland farming area.
“In Kenya, the Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM) Network promoted African leafy vegetables, reviving traditional agricultural practices and organic farming techniques. This led to improved livelihoods, increased crop production, and stronger community-based enterprises.
“In Malawi, the “NeverEndingFood” initiative uses permaculture-based agroecology to combat food insecurity. By diversifying food production and improving nutrition, it has created year-round food sources for communities, transforming degraded land into productive farms.
“In Nigeria, the Be the Help Foundation Agroeforestry farm effectively demonstrates how agroecology through agroforestry can assure economic empowerment for farmers as well as environmental sustain-ability,” the communiqué added.
The groups equally observed that there are barriers to agroecology and by extension, food sovereignty, which include limited knowledge, poor access to land (including land grabs) and credit facilities for farmers, poor extension services, as well as dependence on toxic and synthetic agrochemicals.
“They said another major barrier to food sovereignty in Nigeria is the spread of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) crops, which creates dependency on multinational corporations for seeds and food production, adding that GMOs also lead to soil degradation through the use of toxic herbicides.
“The goal shouldn’t be merely to achieve food security but food sovereignty, where healthy food is guaranteed, and the local people are in control of their seeds and food systems. Food sovereignty must take precedence over mere food security.
“Food security cannot be achieved without local control over food systems, seeds and agricultural processes (food sovereignty). But this can only be achieved by creating policies that protect farmers’ rights and agricultural autonomy,” they stressed.
In the communiqué made available to journalists by Media and Communication Lead at HOMEF and Oilwatch Africa Communications Officer, ‘Kome Odhomor, the groups further declared their our commitment to champion the adoption of agroecological practices across Nigeria’s farming communities, prioritise food sovereignty over food security in policy discussions and implementation and advocate research and development in agroecological methods suitable for the Nigerian context, and strengthen both academic and farmer-led research initiatives.
They also canvassed measures to ensure farmers’ rights to seeds, land, water and other resources as well as the preservation of their traditional seed varieties, address the critical knowledge gap regarding agroecology’s importance for national development, promote local food systems that preserve indigenous knowledge and cultural food practices and push for government investments in agroecological research and extension services
Their declaration also include the creation of improved communication channels and knowledge-sharing practices among farmers, communities, researchers, and policymakers to enhance the visibility and effectiveness of agroecological methods, as well as follow up with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security on the plan to mainstream agroecology into national policies following the inclusion in Nigeria’s NDC 3.0.
At the end of the stakeholders’ conference on agroecology, the participants charged the government at all levels to recognize agroecology as essential for national food sovereignty and agricultural sustainability, and to create a supportive policy framework.
They urged Nigerian citizens to embrace subsistence farming in their homes, support local food systems, and advocate for a healthy food policy, adding that government at all levels should ban GMOs and promote and invest in agroecology research and practices for increased food productivity.
“All stakeholders should promote structured youth training programmes in agroecology to ensure the intergenerational transfer of indigenous knowledge and sustain Nigeria’s cultural food systems, while academic institutions should integrate it into school curricula and prioritise it within research institutes to deepen knowledge and innovation in sustainable agriculture.
“The government should enact policies to create and promote national seed banks that preserve indigenous seeds and protect farmers’ sovereignty while relevant authorities should address growing insecurity and lack of access to land for farmers, particularly women and youth, by ensuring secure, equitable land tenure systems and protection for farming communities,” the communiqué further stated.
The groups further urged the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to develop and implement a comprehensive national standard for organic and agroecological practices, ensuring quality, safety, and sustainability in production systems maintaining that the government should train and deploy extension workers with specialized knowledge in agroecology to support farmers in adopting sustainable, climate-resilient practices, as well as create an enabling environment for marketing and promotion of agroecological produce and products.
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