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The Knowledge Centre for Organic Agriculture (KCOA), has urged farmers in Anambra to adopt organic agriculture, for a safe farming environment and healthy food production.
The Project Coordinator, KCOA, Mr Fidelis Ezegbogu, made the call at a two-day training for agricultural multipliers held in Awka on Tuesday.
The programme was sponsored by the BMZ Germany Government project in partnership with Enda Pronat, FERNAB, and Agrecol Afrique.
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Ezegbogu said that the training was aimed at spreading knowledge on organic agriculture, marketing organic agricultural products, as well as encouraging value actors in the agricultural sector to practice organic agriculture for the good of all.
He described organic agriculture as the act of growing crops and rearing animals the natural way without the use of synthetics.
“A lot of people these days are going through underlying health related issues due to excessive intake of residual synthetic fertilisers and pesticides in their diet and we feel things must change for the better.
“Organic agriculture system has some benefits to human health and the environment.
“It promotes healthy living, keeps the environment safe, and minimises ecological problems facing human beings in today’s society,” Ezegbogu said.
In her presentation on organic agriculture, Prof. Nkiru Meludu, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, and South East Coordinator for Ecological Organic Agriculture, highlighted some of the benefits of the system.
Meludu said that organic agriculture gives rise to biodiversity, less environmental hazards, improvement in soil fertility and less greenhouse gas emissions.
“There is the need to increase sensitisation on the organic agricultural system to encourage farmers to focus on putting in the work of farming organically while keeping the health of the soils that produce our food in mind,” Meludu said.
Dr Leonard Ugwuowo of the Department of Animal Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, harped on adopting sustainable agricultural practices and organic agriculture for livestock.
“All animal species have certain specialised organs which give them special abilities and distinct way of living, hence the need for farmers to promote species-specific features and abilities by providing a favorable environment for livestock,” Ugwuowo said.
