The Ogoni Farmers Network has called on farmers across Rivers State to embrace food sovereignty and promote indigenous agricultural practices as a pathway to sustainable food production and environmental restoration.
Speaking during a farmers’ rally on food sovereignty at the end of a three-day ecological conference held in Bori, Khana Local Government Area, on Friday, September 6, Nbani, Director of the Lekeh Development Foundation, said, Ogoni farmers are committed to feeding the state with healthy organic food.
“We intend to use this day to create awareness about the Ogoni Farmers Food Sovereignty Network in Ogoniland and beyond. We are declaring today that we say no to GMO food, no to organised seeds, but yes to preserving and promoting our indigenous seeds.
“We want sustainable agricultural practices that can put good food on the table of our people while protecting our soil through bioremediation.”
The conference, which focused on agroecology, trained farmers on how to cultivate without harmful chemicals. Mene Lauretta, a farmer from Bodo community, described the program as an eye-opener.
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“This conference has given us insight on how to revive our lands without government intervention,” she said. “We learned about agroforestry, planting trees that provide food while helping to heal the environment. Ogoni is the food base of Rivers State, and we must protect our land for future generations.”
Another participant, a teacher who expressed plans to resign and take up farming full-time, said the training rekindled her hope in agriculture despite years of discouragement from oil spills and poor harvests.
“With this program, I now know how to remedy my soil using natural waste instead of expensive fertiliser. I have started storing organic waste at home, and I’m determined to return to farming, harvest, and supply food again.”
The Ogoni Farmers Network emphasised that the knowledge gained from the ecological conference would be shared across communities under the slogan “training the trainers.”
