The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has attributed the climate change disasters affecting Nigeria and the earth planet to growing activities of industrial farming.
The HOMEF Director, Nnimmo Bassey, who disclosed this during a stakeholders meeting with Civil Society on Agroecology in Abuja, said agriculture generally does not contribute to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, rather it is the industrial agriculture that depends on fertiliser, fossil fuel and monoculture that causes global warming.
He explained that the usage of indigenous planting materials rather than artificial means is what cools the planet. “When you have a particular land, you don’t use artificial fertiliser, you don’t use chemicals. You are using natural means of protecting your crops and adding to the health of the soil. This is the critical dimension that helps to cool the planet; biodiversity cools the planet,” he stated.
Bassey noted that agroecology helps to build healthy soil while industrial agriculture that depends on chemical fertiliser actually destroys the soil. “It’s not just because the soil is not fertile that they have to add more fertiliser yearly, but because the soil is being damaged and the damage goes beyond the soil. It washes off into the rivers, into our water bodies, affecting the whole ecosystem.”
He pointed out that agroecology – agriculture that works with nature is very critical to cooling the planet and fighting global warming.
Bassey said, “Biodiversity cools the planet. When you have a variety of crops growing on healthy soil, the soil itself absorbs carbon, which is healthier. Agroecology helps to build healthy soil. Industrial agriculture depending on chemical fertiliser actually destroys the soil.”
While speaking on the need to pay more attention to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Bassey said climate change will among others lead to failure in agriculture, drying up of water bodies, environmental conflict, rising ocean temperature, less fishes, sea level rise, loss of land, displacement of communities, among others.
He noted that unless these challenges are tackled with real solutions, Nigeria and the entire world might not be able to achieve the SDG goals.
A content writer with Environmental Right Action, Mr. Babawale Obayanju noted that the linear economy has caused more damage to the planet than good and has caused climate change disaster.
