From Everest Ezihe, Owerri
Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has urged residents to embrace household farming and food production as a sustainable way of tackling hunger and mitigating the effects of current economic challenges.
Uzodimma made the clarion call during the Zero Hunger Agricultural Empowerment Programme held at Rockview Hotel, Owerri, where 1,000 households were presented as the initial beneficiaries of the initiative.
The governor said previous government interventions, including food distribution and financial assistance, were necessary to cushion the effects of economic hardship, but stressed that sustainable food production remained the lasting solution to hunger.
“It is like giving somebody fish. Now we want to teach you how to fish,” Uzodimma said, urging the beneficiaries to commence planting immediately.
He recalled that household gardens were once common in Imo communities, with families cultivating vegetables, tomatoes and other crops around their homes.
The governor also encouraged civil servants, young professionals and other residents to establish gardens, stressing that increased local food production was essential to the nation’s economic progress.
“There is no way Nigeria will move if we don’t grow what we eat and eat what we grow,” he said.
Uzodimma congratulated the beneficiaries and pledged continued government support for initiatives aimed at improving food security, reducing poverty and promoting prosperity in the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Chinenyenwa Owuamalam, Esq., commended the initiative, describing it as a strategic intervention to strengthen food security and household resilience.
Owuamalam said the programme was designed to support 1,000 families with agricultural inputs, training and home-gardening assistance, adding that it would contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 2, which focuses on Zero Hunger, and SDG 17, which promotes partnerships.
She also commended the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for prioritising food security, agricultural development, poverty reduction and economic empowerment under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Imo State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Austin Onyedebelu, commended the empowerment of the 1,000 beneficiaries, describing it as an intervention capable of boosting food production, reducing poverty and improving livelihoods through modern farming techniques and high-yield seeds.
