LASG Trains, Donates Seedlings to Residents to Boost Food Production

Sunday Ehigiator

As part of efforts aimed at boosting food production in the state and by extension, Nigeria, the Lagos State government through the Lagos State House of Assembly, yesterday, trained and donated seedlings to residents in the state.
This initiative formed the focus of the ninth Town Hall Meeting held across the 40 constituencies of the state, themed, ‘Ensuring Food Security for a Sustainable Future: Youth Participation and Home-Grown Farming.’

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a 3-day meeting which began yesterday, the Deputy Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly who also doubles as the honourable member representing Apapa Constituency, Hon. Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, stated that the need to embrace homegrown farming at this critical time in the nation’s economy “is the way to go.”
Meranda who acknowledged the soaring cost of food also highlighted the significance of youth inclusion in agricultural initiatives and interventions as part of the solution to curbing food insecurity.

She added that to further accelerate this programme, the state government is working on policies and legislation to return agricultural studies to the primary school syllabus and also protect farmers’ interests from the harm of open grazing.
“To achieve our food security goals, our farming capacity has to be widened to involve everyone including the youth, equipping them with the skills, knowledge and resources in agricultural innovation.

“This requires a comprehensive approach because food security encompasses not only availability but also affordability, accessibility and value.
“Today, we have trained 100 people and they have been given certificates and tools to help them further their practice. Also, Urban Gardens will be mentoring the trainees for a year. By God’s grace, we are starting today and we hope we will be able to support them even more.”

Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the event, Mr. Olakunle Roland, Agric Expert at Urban Agric Training School, noted that practising farming at home would not be a problem for residents in the urban city of Lagos.
He said: “The training is to teach participants how to farm with little spaces. We can do this without having a huge expanse of land. You can do it behind your house, your balconies.
“You don’t need to spend so much more to start your garden using your old bags, plastic food containers or pipes. These are things that you can use to grow your vegetables and you’ll be shocked at what you’ll get on these things.

“Most of these seeds you’re using right now don’t take more than 2 months to grow, and they have good produce. You can have large produce from a small expanse of land. So you don’t have the issue of cows or goats coming to eat your produce.”

Meranda through her Foundation, Mo’s Care, also donated back-to-school packs to children from eight public primary schools in Apapa who were invited to be part of the event. Each pack consists of a backpack, notebooks, math set and pencils.