Akakan Umoh
Agricultural experts have renewed call for farmers and government agencies in Akwa Ibom to embrace Agroecology as a sustainable farming model to improve food production and preserve their environment.
Speaking at a one-day seminar, organised by Akwa Ibom State Committee on Agriculture and Food Security, in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom Agricultural Development Programme (AKADEP), Clement Isong Foundation (CIF) with financial support from ActionAid Nigeria under the Strategic Partnership Agreement II (SPA II) in Uyo on Wednesday, 29 July, the experts observed that Akwa Ibom possesses enormous agricultural potential but continues to face challenges relating to food security, declining soil fertility, climate variability and increasing production costs.
While dissecting the seminar’s theme: Building Resilient Food Systems in Akwa Ibom State: Advancing Agricultural Inputs, Farmer Resilience and Agroecology convened under the Stakeholder Dialogue on Advancing Agroecology for Sustainable Food Systems, they pointed out that ”Unsustainable farming practices, particularly bush burning and excessive dependence on synthetic agricultural inputs, continue to contribute to declining soil health and environmental degradation.”
Also read: Participants Urge Akwa Ibom Govt to Mainstream Agroecology for Sustainable Farming
In a keynote address, the Executive Director, Clement Isong Foundation, Mr. Elkanah Oluyori spoke on the topic: Agroecology as a pathway to Sustainable Food Systems, Food Security and Climate Change Resilience in Akwa Ibom State.
Oluyori said Agroecology involves ”designing farms the way nature already works, diverse rather than single-crop. Nutrients recycled on-site rather than imported. Soil health treated as the foundation of yield, not a passive surface to pour chemicals onto, compost in place of purchased fertilizer, biological pest control in place of chemical spraying and Crop–livestock integration manure to fertilizer, residue to feed.”
According to him, ”This is not a rejection of modern farming. It is a correction to the one part modern farming quietly assumed it could ignore forever — the health of the soil itself.”
He queried: Can farmers still afford to plant? Is the food grown safe to eat? Can the soil still produce next year? And Does the system survive a bad season?, noting that ”Right now, in Akwa Ibom and across Nigeria, all four are moving in the same direction — and it is not a good one.”
Oluyori mentioned soil and ecosystem health, economic and climate exposures as factors militating against agroecology.
The Director, therefore, called on Input Dealers to stock one organic input line this season, and support a verification system before counterfeits repeat the crisis; Directors of ADPs to treat agroecology as complementary to existing extension work. Allocate one demonstration site per LGA cluster; Established Farmers to test one plot before judging the whole method and ask about transition financing rather than assuming the cost; Women Farmers to name the lower-capital entry point directly as opportunity, not left implicit; and Young Farmers to treat input production, compost, biopesticide, as a business, not only a technique.
In his paper entitled: Promoting Sustainable Agrciultural Inputs and Practices for Agroecological Transition, Mr. Uwemedimo Anana, Director of Agricultural Business and Innovation, AKADEP, explored opportunities for promoting organic inputs – bio fertilizer, bio-pesticides, bio-fungicides, compost, seed diversity and soil health practices .
Anana focused on how sustainable inputs can improve productivity, reduce dependence on harmful chemicals and support resilient farming system.
He identified strategies for effective Agroecology transition requiring a mix of farm-level changes, shared local knowledge, and supportive rules, mentioning key steps to include input reduction and system redesign, farmer-to-farmer learning, and policy support.
The Director suggested cut back or stop using harmful chemical fertilizers and bug sprays by using (ntong) ash from kiln, grow many different crops together and rotate them to keep soil healthy, bring livestock and plants ( Nkwet) mesocarp, and (Nkom eyop) pulp together so animal waste feeds the soil naturally.
Talking on Advancing Agroecology through Mechanisation: The Role of Ibom Equipment Leasing Limited (IELL) in Sustainable Food Systems, the General Manager, Ibom Equipment Leasing Limited, Engr. Ifiok Ekott, identified low levels of mechanization, high production costs, labour shortages, climate change, and unsustainable farming practices as limitations to agricultural productivity and resilience.
Ekott reasoned that Agroecology offers a sustainable pathway by promoting farming systems that conserve natural resources, enhance biodiversity, improve soil health, and strengthen climate resilience.
According to him, ‘‘To achieve these outcomes at scale, appropriate agricultural mechanization is essential. When aligned with agroecological principles, mechanization enables timely farm operations, reduces labor drudgery, improves efficiency, minimizes post-harvest losses, and supports sustainable food systems.
‘‘As the Akwa Ibom State Government’s agricultural mechanization company under the ARISE Agenda, Ibom Equipment Leasing Limited (IELL) plays a strategic role in making modern farm equipment affordable and accessible to farmers through equipment leasing, innovative financing models, and statewide service delivery.
The General Manager said Ibom Equipment Leasing Limited is the Ibom State Government’s mechanization company under the ARISE Agenda of H.E. Governor Umo Eno that hires tractors, implements, and farm equipment to the farmers at affordable rate.
Ekott explained that the company has 25 Tractors & Implements in stock and hires at the subsidised rate of ₦45,000 without diesel per hectare to farmers for land preparation.
‘‘Equipment Leasing: Tractors, Ploughs, Planters, Harvesters, etc. Different Financing Products: Credit, Voucher, Pay-As-You-Harvest, Cooperative, etc. 31 LGAs: Book equipment in your LGA’’ he added.
Earlier, Dr. Caroline Gordian, the Project Manager, Clement Isong Foundation, had remarked that Agriculture remains the backbone of livelihoods for many families in Akwa Ibom State, though farmers continue to face serious challenges, including rising input costs, declining soil fertility, the effects of climate change, and limited access to sustainable farming technologies.
‘‘These realities’’, Gordian stated, ‘‘remind us that improving food production is no longer enough; we must also ensure that the way we produce food protects our environment and secures the future of generations to come.’’
She acknowledged that ‘‘Agroecology provides an opportunity to increase productivity while protecting our soils, conserving biodiversity, strengthening farmers’ resilience to climate change, and improving household food security. It encourages us to work with nature rather than against it.
‘‘At Clement Isong Foundation, we believe that sustainable development can only be achieved through partnership. Over the years, we have worked with government institutions, farming communities, youth groups, women, the private sector, and development partners to promote accountable governance, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods.’’
The Project Manager advised the participants to engage actively in today’s discussions, noting ‘‘Your knowledge, experience, and perspectives are valuable. We are confident that the recommendations from this dialogue will contribute meaningfully to strengthening agricultural policies, improving access to sustainable agricultural inputs, enhancing extension services, and promoting the adoption of agroecological practices across Akwa Ibom State.’’
Quoting “Grow what you eat, eat what you grow, and protect the land that feeds us,” she called on government, development partners, researchers, farmers, civil society, and the private sector to build a food system that nourishes people, strengthens economy, and safeguards our environment.
Mr. Ofonmbuk Nelson, the Secretary of State Agriculture and Food Security Committee, who also represented Professor Okon Ansa, the Akwa Ibom Chairman of Agriculture and Food Security Committee (which oversees agricultural policies and investments), moderated the event.
Nelson advised the participants to make judicious use of the opportunity by sustaining food production in the state to complement state Governor Eno’s agriculture policy.
A panel discussion on The Agricultural Input System in Akwa Ibom State: Current Realities, Challenges and Opportunities was undertaken by six inputs dealers.
Interactive and breakout sessions involving the Directors of Agriculture and key agricultural stakeholders.
The seminar brought together representatives of the Akwa Ibom State Committee on Agriculture and Food Security, AKADEP, Directors of Agriculture from all 31 Local Government Areas, agricultural input dealers from the 31 LGAs, farmers’ associations, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).
Others were Small-Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON), Young Farmers Network Nigeria, Cassava Producers Association, Ibom Equipment Leasing Limited (IELL), development partners, civil society Organizations, and private sector actors.
