Agric & Biotech

Before the creation of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in 1976, the area known today as Abuja was a collection of gazetted forest reserves. But they were all cleared during the development of the capital city. However, fresh efforts to re-green the city have commenced, courtesy of the FCT Administration which during the week flagged-off a tree planting campaign. The ...

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), who recently took a look at the current National Biosafety Agency (Establishment) Bill of 2010, have warned that the Nigerian government did not take into account the concerns of local farmers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and critical stakeholders in its formulation. The bill is presently awaiting the President’s consent. At a forum held recently in Benin City, ...

Contrary to statements credited to the Nigeria Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA), activist Nnimmo Bassey insists that genetically modified crops pose a threat to the nation’s food security   Food production and hunger continue to be issues of major concern in Nigeria and in Africa as a whole. The continent has been the poster child of hunger and malnutrition since the ...

We journeyed from Calabar and passed through Ikot Offiong before finally arriving at Akpabinyo Township in Cross River State. The Police Secondary School was one of the major landmarks on the voyage to discover some of the hidden treasures in the forest of Cross River. On my mind was the main objective of pinpointing the nuisance palms along the waterways ...

A new report released on Thursday has identified large-scale land acquisitions and other commercial investment in agriculture in Nigeria and three other countries as threats to small-scale food producers. Prepared by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and Oxfam, the report is titled: “Tipping the Balance: Policies to shape agricultural investments and markets in favour of small-scale farmers.” ...

Like most Nigerian teenagers who have dreams and ambition after secondary school to further their education, Miss Oluwashayo Elubode had high hopes. Miss Elubode is a young and aspiring Agronomist I met when I visited the International Institute of Tropical Agricultural (IITA) in Ibadan, Oyo State, in company of the Youth Voices for Small Scale Farmers which recently toured the ...

In a bid to promoting youth centre activities in raising awareness and mobilising public support for food security and livelihood protection, some 30 youths residing in the six states were recently selected to participate in an agriculture-based programme. The youths from various backgrounds were camped in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, under a programme tagged: “Young voices for small scale ...

Last week, President Goodluck Jonathan presented the 2013 proposal to the joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives, where he submitted, among others, that the budget is one that gives priority to food security. However, the N81.41 billion budget provision for Agriculture and Rural Development has apparently not captured the recent flooding mishap nationwide, which has put the ...

On the occasion of the International Day Against Plantations and Monocultures that was observed recently, the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has advised the Nigerian government to go beyond sloganeering by mustering the political will to adopt realistic and community-friendly approaches to fighting the climate change phenomenon instigated by unsustainable forest practices. ERA/FoEN also called on the ...

Nigeria, Cross River State and the United Nations sign Nigeria’s UN-REDD National Programme, with an innovative two-track approach, and gear up to implement it, says Josep A. Garí, Environmental Finance Specialist (UNDP) and Regional Advisor for Africa (UN-REDD), who is based at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya   Nigeria’s UN-REDD National Programme was signed on 28 August 2012, ...