Environmental and agricultural experts have called on the Federal Government to mainstream agroecology into Nigeria’s agricultural policies as a sustainable strategy to combat food insecurity and climate change.
They made the call on Tuesday during a one-day Practical Agroecology Training for Farmers held in Ibadan with the theme, “Solving the Food and Climate Crises”
Experts agreed that agroecology represents a pathway to sustainable food systems in Nigeria, combining traditional knowledge with ecological science to ensure resilience in the face of climate and economic shocks.
The training, which brought together farmers, researchers and environmental advocates, featured demonstrations on organic composting, natural pest control and soil management, all aimed at reducing chemical dependence and restoring soil fertility.
Leading the advocacy, Prof. Olugbenga Adeoluwa of the Department of Soil Resources Management, University of Ibadan, said agroecology offers practical solutions to the worsening impacts of climate change on food production.
“Agroecology is the way to go for farming in Nigeria. Farmers are already facing challenges caused by climate change — unpredictable rainfall, pest invasion, and planting delays. Agroecology provides answers to these, but farmers must first understand and be trained in its practices ,” Adeoluwa said.
He explained that the training was designed to bridge the gap between healthy food production, climate-resilient action and farmers’ everyday practices, adding that participants could begin applying the techniques immediately.
Adeoluwa urged governments at all levels to replicate agroecology training across the country and incorporate it into agricultural extension services.
“This is what our local governments should be doing, training farmers and linking them to markets. Production without access to buyers amounts to nothing,” he said.
He also called for stronger policy inclusion, public investment and research support for agroecological farming, stressing that it aligns food production with environmental health.
“Agroecology is about working with nature, using biological and social components in farming while avoiding hazardous chemicals and genetically modified organisms (GMOs),” he added.
Similarly, Mr. Barnabas Iwan, Farm Manager, Production at Be the Help Foundation Agroforestry, said agroecology empowers farmers to cut production costs and increase yields using natural resources available around them.
Iwan said: “The biggest challenge for farmers is the high cost of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Agroecology teaches them to produce their own fertilizers and pest control inputs using materials around them. “When you use chemicals, you destroy the soil and the atmosphere, but agroecology improves the soil, sustains the climate and restores ecological balance.”
Also speaking, Ms. Esele Ojeanelo, Project Assistant at the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), said the training sought to promote food sovereignty and climate justice nationwide.
Ojeanelo, who warned against the growing adoption of GMOs in Nigeria, described them as a threat to soil health, biodiversity and human well-being.
“GMOs destroy microorganisms in the soil and have been linked to health complications such as infertility and birth defects. Countries with advanced health systems are banning GMOs; Nigeria, with its fragile health system, cannot afford to embrace them,” she said.
She urged the government to halt GMO approvals and instead promote agroecology, which she described as a safer, community-driven model that empowers smallholder farmers and ensures food safety.
“Smallholder farmers can feed the nation if supported. The government should make agroecology a national priority,” Ojeanelo added.
