- By Halimah Olamide
Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu has demonstrated the need for homes to cultivate small gardens as part of strategies to grow more food.
Tinubu who was seen in her small garden within the seat of power in Abuja said promoting home gardens comes with several benefits.
According to her, it is a way of encouraging family farming.
“Every Home Garden competition by the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI is not just a competition. It aims to inculcate the habit of farming and food production into the society right from the family unit and promote eating healthy foods. Earlier today, I was at my garden to tend to it and water my plants myself. I have planted 7 different vegetables. I would like to encourage all Nigerian women to join the #EveryHomeAGarden competition and get involved in farming and food production.”
Tinubu’s move comes at a time that food inflation has become a major crisis in the country.
major foodstuffs consumed by Nigerians are fast disappearing and where available, come with high costs.
In Lagos a tuber of yam now goes for as high as N5,000 while a crate of tomatoes sells for about N80,000.
A bag of rice has been selling for about N80,000 since last year.
A number of factors such as banditry and terrorism, poor roads infrastructure, poor financing and lack of adequate inputs are linked to the crisis in food supply.