From Ifeoma Ejiofor
Anambra State government has disclosed its plans to introduce special agro integrated aqua culture and agro production system that would enable farmers scale produce to meet up with both local and international markets’ demand.
Commissioner For Agriculture, Dr Forster Ihejiofor who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen on this year’s World Food Day Commemoration, said the system driven by some new innovative technologies would help farmers tailor their production to achieve specific needs.
“These technologies are designed for vertical propagation systems. In other words, you can do multi layers production in a small land space.
“We are hoping that by the time we are celebrating this year’s World Food Day in November, we would have a scorecard to give Ndi Anambra and our farming population on these Production Systems,” he said.
Describing as apt the theme for the year’s World Food Day commemoration, “Water is Life, Water is Food, Leave no-one behind”, the commissioner underscored the importance of water to survival of humans to include, primary resource for food production, processing as well as digestion.
He noted that the event remained a pointer to evolve a collective action to instigate policies and programmes that would ensure food security and address challenges militating against accessibility of food.
“We are looking at mainstreaming backyard and urban farming that gives families full control over what they eat starting with vegetables and food crops.
“Most of them can be planted inside bags and containers around homes.So that families even know what they are eating and at the same time reduce the number of people trooping to the market scrambling for the little food that make it to the market” he said.
Ihejiofor further urged the people to key into the Regenerative Agricultural practice adopted by government and tailored around natural process of food production that recycles nutrients, describing it as most sustainable way to farm, climate friendly and environmentally preservative for production of rich, healthy food.