Victor EzejaHealth of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), has called for support of farmers to ensure availability of healthy local foods.
HOMEF made the call during a national food festival organised by the foundation to celebrate Nigeria’s food diversity and culture.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe event which drew participants from various parts of the country including Benue, Cross River, Enugu, Plateau, the FCT, and Edo State, highlighted food diversity in Nigeria, their medicinal properties, and overall importance.
While noting that food also has cultural significance, as people are often identified by what they eat, HOMEF observed that most original African foods are made with herbs and vegetables that are highly medicinal and support their health.
Highlighting the need to support small-holder farmers in producing local healthy foods, HOMEF cited statistics which shows that 80 per cent of the foods consumed locally comes from them.
“Our focus should be on promoting and preserving our local food, which is the essence of the food festival—to showcase the beauty of our diversity of foods,” HOMEF emphasised in a statement issued after the festival.
The group expressed concerns about the health implications of the proliferation of Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs).
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It said that with GMOs, farmers are not encouraged to reuse the seeds due to reduced productivity after the first planting season. While expressing concerns that it may be unsustainable for local farmers, who might not have the purchasing power, the NGO which focuses on environmental sustainability, highlighted other implications of the use of GMO seeds.
According to HOMEF, 80 percent are designed to be herbicide tolerant and studies have also shown that the use of herbicide-tolerant GMOs has led to a significant increase in the usage of herbicides on the farm. “These herbicides contain a key ingredient called glyphosate, a carcinogen. There are thousands of cases in the US, for example, where people have come down with different kinds of cancer because of the use of these products.”
It said that GMOs disrupt biodiversity as they contain chemicals that “not only only kill the target pests but also destroy beneficial microorganisms in the soil and other important organisms in the ecosystem.”
“These are a few consequences of GMOs, and the Nigerian public is continuously calling on the government to ban them.”
Farmers need government support
While stating that Nigeria has the capacity and resources to produce food and feed the population sustainably, HOMEF stressed that what farmers need is more support from the government in terms of access to land, credit, better infrastructure, and extension services to help them “do what they know how to do best.”
The statement added that during the festival, a call was made to the government to ban GMOs in Nigeria because they do not align with the food culture and identity of the people, coupled with the threat it poses on conservation of biodiversity.
“The festival calls for support from local food producers, our local seeds, and the preservation of the biodiversity we have in Nigeria.”
The group also urged consumers to return to consuming local foods which support their health as opposed to modern-day, processed ones.
“Studies have shown that the increased incidence of non-communicable diseases is linked to the kind of food we now eat. It is important that people eat healthy local food, choose diverse food, and not nutritionally empty foods,” it pointed out.
The festival featured chefs and local food vendors cooking various unique Nigerian dishes in competition and on the spot, including Banga soup, Afang soup, Black soup, and several other wonderful soups. Other kinds local delicacies on display were Ukodo, Ekpankoko, Ewedu, and Gbegiri, and some popular street food prepared on the spot, like bole and fish, abacha, akara, bread, and zobo drink.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
