By Obiabin Onukwugha
Environmental body, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, HOMEF, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to ban the use of Genetically Modified Crops (GMOs) in the country so as to ensure the preservation of local and natural seed varieties in the country.
HOMEF called the federal government to increase support for farmers through timely provision of needed infrastructure, access to credit and access to land especially for women.
It said the government through the Ministry of Agriculture, should provide support and promote agreocology by ensuring access to organic fertilisers and pesticides and quality seeds.
It also called on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to collaborate with organisations like the HOMEF and Be the Help Foundation to organise more training on production of organic pesticides and fertilisers and on how to improve productivity using agroecological principles.
HOMEF made the called during a training it organised in collaboration with the GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance and the Network of Women and Youth in Agriculture for farmers in Enugu State, recently.
The training focused on addressing the
issues of hunger and climate change which are compounded by the existence of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) in the agriculture system in Nigeria.
A press statement by HOMEF signed by its communications Officer, Kome Odomhor and made available to NatureNews at the weekend, indicated that at the end of the training, farmers gained knowledge on how to produce pesticides from the Neem plant, garlic, and chilli pepper; as well as how to produce the Jeevramruth fertiliser using various locally sourced materials including cow dung and urine, bananas, cowpea flour, etc.
Farmers also gained knowledge of agroforestry and how to promote biodiversity, soil, and plant health on their farms. There was a lot of emphasis on mixed cropping including by adding flowers and trees on the farm as this increases productivity, and reduces the growth of weeds, as well as the use of chemicals on the farm.
According to the statement, one key question addressed by the farmers was whether it was possible for Nigeria to improve and sustain agricultural productivity based on agroecological principles – excluding GMOs and inorganic chemicals
“About 90% of the farmers maintained that it was possible stating that what is primarily required is a change of mindset and for us to revisit the age-long practices of mixed cropping, use of cover crops, crop rotation, biological pest management, etc which ensure optimum production of healthy and nutritious foods.
“The main issue of concern for the other 10% was on how to practice agroecology/produce organic inputs on large scale. It was explained, however, that Agroecology can be practiced on a large scale as is already exemplified by the farm at Be the Help Foundation in Yangoje, Abuja.
“Farmers can either produce organic fertilisers and pesticides on their own using locally available materials or work in cooperatives to do so. Also, it was noted that already there are companies like the SCL Agroindustrial Farm, in Kwali, Abuja who produce these organic inputs for sale.
“It was noted that GMOs and inorganic pesticides are promoted in Nigeria and other parts of Africa based on the false premise that they would ensure food security. However, in almost a decade since the introduction of GMOs in Nigeria, Nigeria still struggles with food insecurity. GMOs are not the solution to food insecurity. People are not hungry for lack of food but for lack of means to get the food.
“One of the participants during the session, Mrs Asogwa Juliet noted that GMOs may look to have some advantages but they also had serious disadvantages, adding that from experience, the crops performed poorly after the first planting season.
“This underscores one of the major concerns with GMOs – that of control over food systems as farmers are forced to go back to the corporations to purchase new seeds every planting season. Mrs Asogwa noted that the best type of Agriculture was that which was aligned with Nature.
“Other implications of GMOs in Nigeria that were highlighted include loss of biodiversity and nutritional diversity, soil degradation, as well as health complications,” the ststement read in part.
HOMEF encouraged the farmers to stop the use of inorganic fertilisers and pesticides on their farms.
At the end of the training, the participants expressed appreciation, noting that it will remove the cost of purchasing chemicals, and create a space for them on the value chain where they can produce their own organic fertilisers and sell to others.
Some of the farmers and groups like the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) also promised to step down the training to other farmers in their communities. Also, 36 of the farmers signed up to join the GMO-Free Nigeria Alliance.
“According to a report by the Alliance for Action on Pesticides in Nigeria – more than 50% of registered pesticides in Nigeria are Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) and over 40% of the registered active pesticides in Nigeria are already banned in the EU and other countries of the world for not meeting safety standards.
“Besides the health implications, the use of these pesticides present economic challenges for Nigeria – Over 76% of Nigeria’s food exports are rejected in the EU and Asia for not meeting safety standards.
“Agricultural products like beans, sesame seeds, melon seeds, dried fish, dried meat, peanut ships, groundnut, palm oil and yam, exported from Nigeria have in the past 10 years been banned by the EU partly due to the presence of dangerous pesticide residues,” the statement added.
