A lecturer in the Department of Crop Science and Horticulture, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, Dr Ogechukwu Umeh, wants people of Igbo extraction to go back to the neglected underutilized indigenous crops to improve their health and ensure food security.
Dr Umeh made the call during the 11th Faculty Lecture of the Faculty of Agriculture themed “Improving Under-utilized crops in South-eastern Nigeria: A Panacea for food security.
Dr. Umeh, a distinguished Nigerian academic and researcher specializing in Agriculture, currently lecturing at Faculty of Agriculture at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
She obtained her Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Genetics from the famous Federal University of Technology Owerri in 2022 and M.Sc. in Plant Genetics and Breeding from the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, Nasarawa State University, Keffi in 2014.
Presenting the lecture, Umeh, the third Genuises Lecturer of the Faculty, regretted that the people of the region have neglected the indigenous crops with their nutritional, medicinal and economic values for far too long.
“The region is no longer producing those crops like oil palm, yam, banana, plantain among others. They are fast disappearing from our menu lists and markets. This is a threat to food security in the region.
“We have allowed imported foods like rice, etc, Genetically modified foods (GM Foods), processed spices in diverse forms to displace our indigenous delicacies.
“Apart from facing food insecurity, we also need to ponder on the resultant effects of these foods in the body”.
Underutilized indigenous crops key to food security
According to faculty lecturer, improving underutilized indigenous crops in the southeast is a crucial step towards achieving food security.
She strongly recommended the restoration of the old times during which those crops helped the people to live long and healthy.
“We must establish a well-structured seed bank in the Department of Crop Science and Horticulture to conserve and preserve genetic diversity of indigenous crops, and as well as make seeds available to farmers in Anambra state”.
Dr Umeh also called for increasing research attention on underutilized indigenous crops to identify their potentials, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
“Findings from such researches must be published in reputable journals and disseminated them to the public through the religious organizations, NGOs and agricultural cooperatives to raise awareness about the importance of these crops.
She called on universities in the region to encourage establishment indigenous food restaurants with free rentage.
Dr Umeh appealed to school managements to enact laws to mandate serving of locally-made foods in conferences, workshops and seminars organized in any university in Southeast Nigeria.
She equally called for the establishment of agricultural market gardens in all universities in Southeast region, which will sell underutilized indigenous crops to citizens.
Other speakers
Earlier the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Professor Cordelia Ebenebe, noted that the faculty which is 14th among the 17 faculties in the institution, is running at par with older ones with brilliant brains, competing favourably with their counterparts of the world.
“In this faculty, a lot of our lecturers have done wonders in the academic arena and we decided on what we call Faculty Young Genuises Lecture. We’ve had the first one, the second one and this is the third one.
“By the time our lecturer finishes delivering, we will know the quality we parade here. We are not just in the academia to make noise or always demand for pay rise. We are bringing about changes and development in all spheres of life.
Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Gabriel Ihejirika, observed that the lecture is structured to spark transformative conversation and innovative idea for solving pressing societal challenges.
“It’s an era where food insecurity continues to challenge our communities and threaten our collective well-being.
“The need to look inwards to our land, our tradition, our heritage and our under-explored agricultural assets has never been more pressing”.
The Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Joseph Ikechebelu was represented by the Director Academic Planning, Prof. Angela Ufele-Obiesie.
He appreciated the faculty for its immense contribution towards making the region and the country food secure.
“I am always happy to be here because what we do with agriculture will determine the quality of our lives. Keep the ball rolling until the region achieves food security”.
The event attracted prominent attendees from town and gown including professors, other academia, politicians mainly from Imo State as well as hundreds of students of the Faculty and Department of Crop Science and Horticulture.
High-point of the event was the award of academic excellence to best students from the seven departments under the Faculty of Agriculture.
The husband of the Faculty Lecturer, Hon Ikechukwu Umeh, also announced a scholarship award to a 300-Level student of the Department of Crop Science and Horticulture for his hardworking disposition during the preparations for the lecture.
