Organic Farming Alone Can’t Feed Nigeria’s Population – AFAN

The All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) has expressed concern over the viability of organic farming as a sole solution to Nigeria’s food security challenges, citing its limitations in meeting the demands of the country’s rapidly growing population.

Speaking in an interview with journalists in Lagos on Friday, Mr. Femi Oke, the chairman of AFAN for the Southwest and Lagos State, emphasized that while organic farming has nutritional and environmental benefits, it is insufficient to sustain Nigeria’s current and future food needs.

“Organic farming is good, but it cannot cater to the needs of food security presently in Nigeria,” Oke said. “We sometimes encourage our farmers to embark on organic farming, but the truth is that organic farming cannot cater for our growing population.”

Organic farming, which avoids synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and irradiation, focuses instead on sustainable agricultural practices that improve soil health and biodiversity. However, Oke warned that the method’s relatively low yields and longer production cycles make it less viable for large-scale food supply.

“The increasing Nigerian population and the recent food inflation we have experienced are some of the reasons why most farmers cannot fully go into organic farming,” he added.

He urged the government and stakeholders in the agricultural sector to explore more advanced and scalable farming systems being adopted in developed countries.

“There are other farming systems that we can also adopt in Nigeria, like in most developed countries. Farming systems such as hydroponics and aquaponics are being used in more developed climes to boost food production — we can also tap into that,” Oke noted.

He also pointed out that many small-scale farmers in Nigeria already practice organic methods out of necessity due to limited access to modern agricultural inputs. However, relying solely on such practices would be inadequate to achieve national food security goals.

“We can embark on biotechnology and other climate-smart farming systems to increase food productivity,” Oke advised, stressing the need for a diversified and technology-driven approach to agriculture.

AFAN continues to advocate for agricultural innovation and infrastructure to address Nigeria’s food production challenges amid a growing population and changing climate.