The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), an environmental advocacy organisation, has referred to as on the federal authorities to guard indigenous seeds and farmers’ rights, warning that industrial agricultural practices and restrictive seed insurance policies may undermine meals sovereignty, biodiversity, and diet.
The organisation made the decision on Friday to mark World Food Day, noticed yearly on 16 October, arguing that starvation and malnutrition persist in resource-rich nations due to political and financial decisions that drawback smallholder farmers and native meals methods.
In a press release made obtainable to PREMIUM TIMES by its Media and Communications Manager, Kome Odhomor, HOMEF mentioned meals safety requires greater than rising agricultural output. It referred to as for insurance policies that defend native seed varieties, promote ecological farming and provides farming communities larger management over what they develop and the way they produce meals.
The organisation additionally referred to as on Nigerians to pay nearer consideration to the origins and dietary high quality of their meals, warning that local weather change, financial instability, and battle proceed to threaten meals manufacturing and distribution.
Food sovereignty
Nnimmo Bassey, HOMEF’s government director, mentioned Nigeria’s meals system was overly dependent on monoculture and cash-crop manufacturing, which he famous weakened meals provide chains, depleted soil well being and lowered farmers’ management over agricultural manufacturing.
“World Food Day should be a day of reflection. It must also be a day of structural reckoning,” Mr Bassey mentioned, calling for a shift from industrial uniformity in the direction of various and ecologically sustainable farming methods.
He mentioned indigenous seeds are essential to adapting to local weather change as a result of they protect genetic variety that may assist drought resistance, pest administration, and improved diet.
“We must move beyond the short-sighted goal of ‘yield at any cost’ and support a transition to agroecology,” he mentioned.
Agroecology applies ecological rules to agricultural manufacturing, emphasising soil well being, biodiversity, native information, and sustainable relationships between farming communities and their setting.
Mr Bassey mentioned defending indigenous seeds was important to stopping biodiversity loss and sustaining ecosystems, arguing that meals methods shouldn’t sacrifice environmental well being for short-term manufacturing good points.
Seed legal guidelines, farmers’ rights
HOMEF’s Director of Programmes, Joyce Brown, mentioned starvation in resource-rich African nations mirrored failures in political and financial decision-making.
She mentioned that meals shouldn’t be handled merely as a commodity for revenue however as a basic human proper linked to public well being, cultural identification and neighborhood livelihoods.
Ms Brown referred to as on governments and worldwide establishments to evaluate insurance policies that, she mentioned, privilege industrial exporters over small-scale farmers who provide native communities.
She particularly raised considerations about Nigeria’s Plant Variety Protection Act, 2021, explaining that restrictions on farmers’ capacity to avoid wasting and reuse seeds may threaten the meals and dietary safety of weak communities.
The legislation gives a framework for safeguarding the rights of breeders of latest plant varieties. The debate over its implementation consists of questions on how breeders’ rights ought to be balanced with farmers’ conventional practices and entry to seeds.
Ms Brown mentioned agricultural insurance policies ought to recognise farmers’ rights and be sure that communities closest to the land retain significant authority over what they develop and the way they use their assets.
‘Industrial agriculture not the only solution’
Mariann Bassey-Olsson, deputy director of Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria, described seed-saving and change as important to farmers’ independence and the preservation of cultural heritage.
She rejected the argument that industrial agriculture was the one viable option to feed the world, saying smallholder farmers had sustained communities for generations by way of domestically tailored farming practices.
Ms Bassey-Olsson mentioned indigenous seeds embodied generations of farmers’ information and adaptation to native soils and weather conditions.
She warned that dropping management of native seed varieties may make farmers more and more dependent on international firms and weaken their capacity to adapt to altering environmental situations.
She additionally opposed genetically modified crops, saying it may threaten farmers’ seed rights and biodiversity and enhance dependence on international firms.
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Her place displays HOMEF’s name for elevated funding in agroecology and domestically managed meals methods, quite than approaches that put industrial agricultural pursuits on the centre of meals manufacturing.
Food safety, local weather change
HOMEF mentioned future meals methods ought to prioritise dietary high quality, environmental sustainability and farmers’ livelihoods, quite than focus narrowly on rising yields.
It referred to as for higher entry to agricultural information, instruments and assets for smallholder farmers and marginalised communities, warning that local weather change and different socioeconomic pressures may additional destabilise meals provides.
The organisation additionally requested governments to assist various native meals methods that may stand up to local weather shocks whereas defending biodiversity and bettering soil well being.
World Food Day is an annual worldwide observance that raises consciousness of starvation and meals insecurity and promotes entry to protected, nutritious, and reasonably priced meals.
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