For stakeholders in Nigeria’s agricultural space, the seventh edition of the 2022 National Organic Agriculture Business Summit provided the needed platform to push for better agricultural policies and food safety in Nigeria.
The event which took place at the International Conference, University of Ibadan, Ibadan from November 29th to December 1st, 2022, had over 300 participants representing organic and agroecology stakeholders from all the geopolitical zones of the nation. The attendance encapsulated circle of enthusiasts in organic agricultural input supply, crop production, processing, packaging and consumers. Notable at the Summit were representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government of Nigeria related to organic and agroecological agriculture, especially from Industry, Trade and Investment, Agriculture and Rural Development, Health, Environment, Information and Culture, Finance, Budget & National Planning, Education and Science & Technology (research institutes, higher educational institutions and secondary schools) as well as the ECOWAS Commission.
The deliberations which centred on the theme: ‘Local Content Development: Organic and Agroecology Alternatives’ had stakeholders emphasizing the need to increase efforts on mainstreaming organic and agroecology into existing curricula for agricultural training at all levels of education in Nigeria with pilot projects in secondary and primary schools.
In a communiqué signed by Dr. Olugbenga Adeoluwa, Country Coordinator, EOA Initiative in Nigeria / Organic and Agroecology Initiative (ORAIN) and Mr Moruff A. Rasaq, chairman, Local Organizing Committee at the end of the event, the summit advocated for the inclusion of school competition on organic and agroecology in the annual National Organic Agriculture Business Summit, in order to create more awareness and knowledge on organic and agroecology in Nigeria.
It encouraged more participatory research activities in various aspect of organic and agroecology, emphasizing on local production of organic and agroecology produce and products. It equally urged the government to enact appropriate agricultural policies on organic and agroecology and make subsidies available for farmers in the sectors. NOABS argued that organic and agroecology organizations in Nigeria should collaborate with NAFDAC in the area of food safety.
Stakeholders insisted on the need for MDAs to financially support funding of the annual National Organic Agriculture Business Summit, in order to extend its benefits to more stakeholders, thereby contributing to national development, just as they called on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to encourage Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) approach for smallholder farmers of organic and agroecology in the country.
The summit advocated that the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) should do more in assisting organic and agroecology farmers to access third party certification for export. It also called on the Federal Ministry of Environment and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should discourage bush burning in order to mitigate negative effects on soil health which reduces productivity of agricultural lands. It argued that the National Biosafety Management Agency should ensure appropriate biosafety regulations to avoid comingling of agricultural produce/products in the country with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) inputs.
The ECOWAS Commission was asked to ensure the establishment of a regional Organic and Agroecology Trade fair in West Africa, just as the Farm Inputs Support Services (FISS) Department of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development were advised to put in more efforts in awareness on organic inputs available in the country.
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The communique said: “All umbrella bodies of organizations related to inputs, production, equipment and services of organic and agroecology in Nigeria should work with Organic and Agroecology Initiative (ORAIN) to handle exhibition of their sectors in NOABS, starting from 2023 NOABS. While appreciating the current MDAs’ investment in organic and agroecology related issues and addressing the outputs of the last NOABS, the level of investment is still low. The issue of agricultural extension services to facilitate organic and agroecology in the country needs to be addressed. The understanding of most stakeholders in Nigeria of the required procedures for certification of organic produce and products for both domestic and export trade is still low.
“There is the need to put in motion the necessary apparatus that can lead to an increase in the market share of organic and agroecology (in terms of produce, products, and services) from Nigeria in the global market and participation in BioFach (which holds yearly in mid-February at Nuremberg, Germany).”
Stakeholders at the event recalled that Nigeria subscribes to the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being), Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and the Malabo Declaration that are relevant to Organic Agriculture. They also informed that the value in Organic and Agroecology sector of the country is much lower, compared to some countries in Africa that are smaller in land size and population.
They therefore urged all tiers of government in Nigeria to fully explore opportunities in the decision of the African Heads of States and Governments on Organic Farming [EX.CL/Dec.621 (XVII), 2010]. They also called on ECOWAS Commission as well as relevant international development organizations to support the annual National Organic Agriculture Business Summit morally and financially in order to enable more entrepreneurs in the Organic Agriculture sector of Nigeria to tap into ECOWAS open doors for exports and other international opportunities, including participation in the biggest annual organic exhibition – BioFach in Nuremberg, Germany.
The stakeholders congratulated the 2022 NOABS National Recognition Awardees (Zenith Energy Enzymes Inc., Prof. Akin Abayomi, Dr Nnimmo Bassey and Mr Tunde Bello) as champions of organic and agroecology in Nigeria, as well as the winner of School Essay Competition for 2022 NOABS, Ige Enoch Oluwadarasimi of Faith Academy Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
The also appreciated the Local Organising Committee organisations of the summit, namely, Oyo State Ministries of Agriculture & Rural Development (MA&RD), Oyo State Ministry of Health, Finance, Information, Culture and Tourism, Education, Environment and Natural Resources, Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Oyo State Chapter, National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), the Federal College of Agriculture, Ibadan, the Federal College of Animal, Production and Health, Ibadan and Bitemore.
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