By Sumaila Ogbaje
An NGO, EarthSprings Global Grace Empowerment Initiative (ESGGEI), has identified integrated agriculture, healthcare and improved security as key drivers of food security and sustainable rural development.
The NGO made the submission on Saturday, during an Integrated Agriculture and Medical Outreach organised for residents of Guruku Gbagyi Community in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
The outreach was organised in collaboration with the National Ginger Association of Nigeria (NGAN).
The Chief Executive Officer of ESGGEI, Mrs Pearl Chukwuka, said the initiative was organised to commemorate her birthday by positively impacting lives through healthcare services and agricultural empowerment.
She said that healthy farmers remained more productive, making healthcare an essential component of food production and national food security, especially in rural communities that lack adequate access to medical services.
Chukwuka said the organisation partnered with the NGAN to expose farmers to the enormous economic opportunities in ginger cultivation because of its growing local and international demand.
According to her, empowering youths and women through profitable agriculture will reduce unemployment, discourage criminality and improve livelihoods, thereby contributing to safer and more prosperous farming communities.
She urged government to strengthen security in farming communities to enable farmers access their farmlands without fear, warning that insecurity remained a major threat to national food production.
The National President of NGAN, retired Sqn.-Ldr Nuhu Daudu, described Nigerian ginger as one of the country’s most valuable agricultural exports with strong acceptance in international markets.
Daudu said Kaduna State currently accounted for about 80 per cent of Nigeria’s ginger production, adding that the association was expanding cultivation to other states through partnerships and improved farming practices.
He said the association was also promoting irrigation farming and supporting efforts to tackle ginger blight disease to increase production and sustain Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global ginger market.
The retired military officer attributed rising insecurity partly to youth unemployment, saying meaningful engagement in profitable agriculture would deny criminal groups opportunities to recruit idle young people.
He also urged government to strengthen security agencies with modern technology, surveillance equipment and adequate logistics to tackle criminal activities threatening farming communities across the country.
A member of the association’s Board of Trustees, Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammad, described ginger as a strategic cash crop with significant potential for the pharmaceutical, food processing and medicinal industries.
Muhammad said the association was promoting peaceful coexistence between farmers, herders and host communities while encouraging youths to embrace agriculture as a sustainable means of livelihood.
He said increased youth participation in agriculture would reduce unemployment, create more jobs across the value chain and ultimately lower crime in rural communities.
A community leader, Chief Jizhi James, commended the organisers for combining agricultural education with free healthcare services, saying the intervention addressed two critical needs of the farming community.
James acknowledged improved security through the efforts of security agencies and local vigilantes but called for sustained government support to strengthen peaceful coexistence between farmers and herders.
He expressed optimism that initiatives integrating agriculture, healthcare and community engagement would improve food security, strengthen rural livelihoods and promote lasting peace in farming communities.
The outreach featured free medical consultations, health screening, agricultural extension services and sensitisation on ginger cultivation to improve farmers’ productivity, incomes and overall wellbeing in the agrarian community. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Isaac Aregbesola