National Park C-G urges Nigerians to embrace organic farming

The Conservator General, National Park Service, Mr Ibrahim Goni, has called on Nigerians to embrace organic agriculture to ensure healthy life style and food security in the country.

Goni made this call at a 2-day train the trainers workshop on the Principles of Organic Agriculture organised by the Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture in Africa(KCOA) in Abuja.

He urged Nigerians to use the space in their homes as gardens to grow what they ate.

According to him, such efforts will enhance food security and healthy living.

He said the training showed that the current administration’s message on food security was getting down to Nigerians.

“We approved the hosting of this training because we believe in promoting the agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s agenda on food security.

”I urge all Nigerians to produce what they eat; with that, there will be food on the table of every Nigerian.

”With the calibre of people that are here today, some are full time farmers, others are journalists and farmers as well, I am sure they will practice what they are taught today.

”I congratulate the organiser of this programme for the success and also the participants; I want to encourage you to also train others; that way, the message will go down to the grassroots,” he said.

Goni urged the participants to pay attention to the training so that they would be able to train others.

He advised the trainees not to go into commercial farming yet; rather they should start using their gardens to plant vegetables.

A representative of KCOA in Nigeria, Mrs Ebere Agozie, said training became necessary in view of the harmful effects of synthetic substances through the use of chemicals in farming.

Agozie said it was time for Nigerians to watch what they ate.

She urged Nigerians to adopt organic foods as against food with pesticides that was dangerous to human health.

Speaking at the event, Dr Rasheedah Sadiq, an expert on probiotic farming, urged Nigeria to learn to detoxify themselves; noting that organic food would help with anti-aging properties.

Sadiq said that organic farming would help to bring lifestyle changes with a focus on nutritional therapies by producing crops and livestock without growth hormones.