The Director, Centre for Gender Youth and Child Development, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike (MOUAU) Abia state, Professor Mabel Ifeoma Onwuka with her team has taken the campaign of achieving zero hunger and alleviating poverty to Bende community in, Bende Local Government Area (LGA) Abia state.
She decried the level of hunger and poverty in the country, hence, the need to train rural farmers on modern organic farming techniques and Biochar production.
Prof. Onwuka who disclosed recently, underscored the importance of the use of organic farming techniques, urging farmers not to burn their farm land to avoid destruction of organic matters in the soil, depletion of the ozone layer that would lead to climate change among others.
The Professor of Soil Science who is also the founder, Hope for Farmers, Women and Girls Initiative (HOFWGI), charged them not to engage in unhealthy farming practices that are inimical to human health and food production.
Onwuka also demonstrated to farmers how to convert their domestic and agricultural waste into organic fertilizer, urging Abia farmers to take advantage of MOUAU community services outreaches to boost food production.
Fielding questions from newsmen, Prof. Onwuka said that the essence of the rural outreach to farmers was to extend new research innovations to farmers in order to boost food production in Abia and Nigeria at large.
This, she explained was a way of giving back to the society and mentor farmers on how to increase crop productivity and improve soil fertility, and biochar production among others.
She explained that Biochar is a solid carbon-rich product produced from biomass of agricultural crop residues, municipal solid wastes, through the pyrolysis process that involves thermal decomposition in a limited oxygen environment.
Prof. Onwuka and her team, also thanked the Vice- Chancellor,MOUAU Prof Maduebibisi Ofo Iwe and his management team for their support.
In their vote of thanks, one of the beneficiaries, Mr. John, thanked Prof. Onwuka and MOUAU for organizing the training for them, promising that they would put all the knowledge gained into good use.
They urged Prof. Onwuka and MOUAU to sustain the training, adding that it will impart positively on their farming activities and output.
Other members of the team were; the Dean, College of Applied Food Science and Tourism, Prof. Nneoma Obasi, Mrs. Ijeoma Princewill-Ogbonna, and Mrs. Ebele Grace Nwawuba.
Highlight of the event were free distribution of Biochar, other organic farm inputs and food palliatives to the farmers.
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