Abeokuta –Agricultural experts have called on Nigerian farmers to return to sustainable farming methods, warning that the adoption of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and the widespread use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) pose serious risks to public health, biodiversity, and the country’s agricultural future.
The call was made during a
StepDown Practical Agroecology Training on environment health for sustainable agricultural production for the present and generations yet unborn.
The free training held iin Abeokuta wad facilitated by Health Of The Environment Foundation (HOMEF) and GMO FREE NIGERIA and powered by Greenlinks International owned by an Horticulturist Mr. Sanya Falemu, who served as the lead speaker and coordinator.
The training which stressed the need to embrace environment friendly chemicals such as bio fertilizer and organic Pesticides drew farmers and agro-dealers from across Ogun State.
*“We cannot allow the government to play dice with our lives and the future of the next generation,” Mr. Falemu said.
He cautioned that GMOs give control of seeds to corporate organisations through patents, preventing farmers from replanting and forcing them into costly dependence.
He also warned that cross-pollination from GMO crops can destroy traditional varieties, biodiversity, and soil health.
According to him, Nigeria has already approved Bt Cowpea in 2019, *Bt Cotton in 2018 , and Tela Maize in 2024 for commercial release.
A 2023 survey across Nigerian cities, he added, identified over 70 food items on supermarket shelves containing genetically engineered ingredients — often indistinguishable from organic produce in regular markets.
Mr. Falemu also raised concerns about the health implications of chemical pesticides.
He said more than 50% of registered pesticides in Nigeria are HHPs, and over 40% of active ingredients in use have already been banned in the EU and other countries.
These chemicals, including Atrazine, Chlorpyrifos, Glyphosate, and Paraquat*, have been linked to cancer, kidney disease, reproductive complications, and endocrine disruption.
“As of April 2023, over 20 million Nigerians were reported to be living with chronic kidney disease, with pesticide ingredients like Paraquat and Butachlor identified as contributing factors,” he said. He further noted that *over 76% of Nigeria’s food exports to the EU and Asia* have been rejected in the past decade due to dangerous pesticide residues.
Most farmers, he explained, do not read pesticide labels due to language barriers and lack access to affordable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), leaving toxic residues in soil, water, crops, and the human body.
A seasoned agroforestry expert and herbalist from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Prof. Sam Olulana, also called on Nigerians to return to indigenous farming practices that sustained soil fertility and crop health for generations without synthetic chemicals.
Speaking under the theme “Digging into the Past” Prof. Olulana took participants through traditional preservation and planting methods used by earlier generations.
He explained how organic soil management, crop rotation, and the use of plant-based extracts helped maintain healthy farmlands long before the widespread use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
He also highlighted the untapped commercial value of insects and herbs commonly dismissed or overlooked in Africa.
According to him, many of these organisms and plants have significant applications in medicine, pest control, and organic agriculture, and could provide viable income streams if properly harnessed.
“Our forebears have a lot of secrets that we are not taking advantage of,” Prof. Olulana said. “I encourage you to dig deep and find some of their books of herbs, with a view to learning the ancient wisdom of the past that is useful in agronomy and for our commercial interest.”
The don warned against the outright sale of ancestral lands to outsiders, cautioning that such transactions could have long-term negative consequences.
He noted that these lands often contain valuable biological and mineral resources that are immeasurable, and once lost, may never be recovered when they are needed in the future.
Prof. Olulana urged participants to retrace their steps back to their roots, blend traditional knowledge with modern agricultural science, and treat indigenous practices as both cultural heritage and economic assets
.
Mrs. Adeitan Temitayo, another resource person, demonstrated how to produce organic fertiliser and urged farmers to resist the temptation of synthetic chemicals and GMO seedlings. “The dangers are real, and the alternatives are right in our indigenous knowledge,” she said.
Agroecology as the Way Forward
Mr. Falemu described agroecology as a system that restores soil health, improves nutritional diversity, and ensures food sovereignty by working with nature rather than against it. Practices include mixed cropping* to reduce pest invasion, *biological pest control using natural predators like the _Anagyrus lopezi_ wasp for cassava mealybug, *push-pull techniques* with repellent and attractant plan, agroforestry, and crop rotation.
He stressed that agroecology is not only a practice but also a science and a movement that protects farmers’ rights and cultural food systems. Citing FAO data, he said 70% of global food comes from smallholder farmers*, and studies show agroecological methods can increase crop yields by an average of 113%
while restoring the environment.
“Agroecology addresses waste, improves access to land and credit, and empowers smallholder farmers who already produce over 70% of the food we eat,” he said.
Mr. Falemu called on farmers to transition to agroecological farming and to join the *GMO-Free Nigeria* movement, urging the government to establish a national agroecology policy to support the practice.
The training ended with a renewed commitment from participants to adopt safer, nature-aligned farming methods and to advocate for food sovereignty in their communities.
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