Group’s efforts at boosting urban agriculture

Story by: Olawale O.

The team teaching vegetable farmers how to use agro-chemicals. It has been argued that food sustainability can only be attained in Nigeria when a larger percentage of its citizens engage in cultivation of crops and livestock. But among other limitations, rural- urban drift has accounted for the major challenge facing agriculture in the country. Even though the craze for white collar job has permeated the entire fabric of the nation, it is still not uncommon to find city dwellers engage in agricultural practices mainly in their yards and available open spaces around their places of abode. Though most of those involved in such practices don’t consider it as economic activities, research has shown that such people earn as much as their normal incomes from other sources from such agric ventures. It has also contributed to conservation of funds by the practitioners.

However, urban farmers generally do not take cognizance of the environmental impact of their activities. In some cases, these ventures are sited near streams and brooks into which domestic and industrial effluents are channelled, particularly in the case of those engaged in rearing of pigs and cultivation of vegetables. While these sources of water could be injurious to consumers of the end products, the producers, who have direct contact with the water, could also be at risk.

For so long, these unwholesome practices, which include indiscriminate use of chemicals by urban vegetable growers, had continued unchecked. But now, there appears to be a solution. The Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) arm of the Catholic Church, Archdiocese of Ibadan, in collaboration with a wide range of interested groups, which include the Farmers Development Union (FADU), Nigerian Environmental Study Team, Centre for Environmental, Renewable Natural Resources Management Research and Development (CENRAD), the University of Ibadan, Institute of Agriculture Research and Training (IAR&T), National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), relevant ministries of Oyo State government, among others, has begun a pilot project that will culminate in an articulated programme that will ensure save and profitable Urban and Peri-Urban agriculture practice.

He said the programme, which uses Multi-Stakeholders Processes for Action Planning and Policy formulation (MPAP) for its implementation, identified the crucial issues that needed policy and technical interventions in urban and peri-urban agriculture for the benefit of urban dwellers.

In the three selected local government areas; Ibadan North-West, Ibadan-North and Akinyele, over 5,000 urban farming practitioners were identified with majority of them declaring themselves as unemployed, despite the income generating activities of livestock rearing, floriculture and vegetable cultivation, fruit crop production and non-traditional farming, such as snailery, mushroom, bee keeping, herb spices, care rat and sericulture practices. It was found out that most of the farmers practice all year round, an indication that fresh produce from farms are available throughout the year in the city.

Despite that the practice ensures adequate food supply to households, recovery of useful resources, space confined productions, employment creation and beautification of the environment and pollution mitigation, there are identifiable disadvantages. Part of the dangers and contraints of the desirable development are inadequate finance that restrain practitioners from adhering to best practice in farming, climatic factor, poor pricing, pest and diseases, prohibitive cost of farm inputs, lack of visits by agric extension officers, misuse of agrochemicals and loss of farmland cum inadequate access to land as well as competition from other land uses.
Babajide also said information, training and service needs of the farmers, which vary from one type of agricultural practice to the other, were lacking.

As a result of all these constraints, urban and peri- urban farming has not been exploited to its best potentials. There have also arisen certain adverse effects, particularly on the environment, the produce and health of practitioners and city dwellers generally. For instance, the practice of piggery by most city farmers is largely unhygene and most sources of water for vegetable farmers, garri processors and others are questionable.

The efforts of the pilot programme are, therefore, geared towards education and training of the practitioners to ensure that the best practices are adhered to. These stakeholders have been organising farmers for input support services. They have particularly been senstising practitioners on the need to involve hygiene in what they do as well as to administer agrochemicals the appropriate ways.

Apart from these, the programme is organising policy seminars for stakeholders in Ibadan, while its advocacy team pays visits to policy makers in securing the future of development initiatives with special focus on the grassroots.

As Dr. Babajide puts it, “the present situation, if properly harnessed, presents opportunities for greater impact. The existing positive disposition can be explored to facilitate increase counterpart contributions, adoption of the city strategic agenda as well as promoting the up- scaling of the process in Nigeria.”

 
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