NGO Trains Ebonyi Rural Farmers On Organic Farming Practices, Biogas Production

Voice Of Nigeria reports that the training program is one of the projects of the Independent Global Stock Take, IGST West Africa, which is financed by Climate Works Foundation and coordinated by the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, with technical support of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, based in South Africa.

In his welcome address, the Executive Director of Neighbourhood Environment Watch Foundation, Dr Okezie Kelechukwu, said the training program aims at equipping the small holder farmers with practical knowledge and skills to build resilience to climate change and practice healthy and sustainable agricultural practices.

He also explained that enhancing the skills of rural small holder farmers will result in addressing issues of malnutrition, food insecurity, impacts of climate change and enhanced living and well being of the small holder farmers, as it will also give them the practical knowledge on how to convert their organic wastes to manure and biogas.

Dr Okezie observed that the choice of the communities is based on their willingness to buy in into the program, coupled with numerous environmental challenges they face as a result of deforestation agricultural and mining activities.

His words:”this 3-day training is one of the components of the SLAACC Project. Other components of the program include the drilling of bore holes, construction and provision of biogas digesters to the farmers and the planting of 500 tree crops in Ohatekwe Edda. So I want the beneficiaries of this training program to utilize the knowledge they acquired by stepping it down so that other farmers in their communities would work towards pushing back all drivers of climate change and hence enjoy good health and well-being for themselves and the future generations.“

In a goodwill message, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Environment, Hon Victor Chukwu who was represented by the Head of Climate Change Department in the Ministry, Mr. Gabriel Igwe-Ebi, thanked the organisers of the program. He noted that the training was timely as according to him, it came when the world and humanity are facing severe global change  crisis.

The Commissioner charged the trainees to practice what they had learned and to ensure the sustainability of their environment, through regenerative and smart agricultural practices.

Hon. Chukwu explained that the Ebonyi State Government, through the Ministry of Environment is committed to tackling climate change, and warned the farmers on the dangers of deforestation. He encouraged them to plant more trees and practice agro-forestry in their farms, adding that government has already initiated policies on tackling climate change.

According to the Commissioner, “there is no better time to show commitment in addressing the

A former Coordinator of Enyidda Development Centre and Edda Community leader, Chief Michael Udenwe also commended the organisers of the program for availing farmers in his area, the opportunity of the training.

He recalled that some years back, the Neighbourhood Environment Watch Foundation planted over 30,000 trees in the area, as a measure to address the global challenge of climate change in the communities.

The training dwelt extensively on issues of Organic Farming, Soil Management , Agroforestry, Climate Change, Indoor Cooking using fire wood,  Deforestation, Biogas Production and use, as well as post harvest storage and marketing.