IN the face of the persisting unfavourable economy in the country, Nigerians are challenged to take up activities that would enhance their earnings and ensure regular food on their tables. As for civil servants with fixed remuneration and grappling at the lower rung of the economic ladder, the challenge is more demanding if they must surmount the effect of the dwindling economy.
Therefore, the recent challenge by the Delta State Head of Service (HOS), Dr (Mrs.) Mininim Oseji, tasking civil servants in the state to consider embarking on homestead farming is inevitable and encouraging. The initiative, no doubt, will promote food security and economic empowerment of civil servants by creating an opportunity to cultivate food and raise livestock for commercial and family use.
Speaking at a one-day workshop on “Development and Management of Homestead Gardening” organised for 50 civil servants, Oseji encouraged workers to embrace subsistence farming around their homes, with a view to producing fresh and healthy foods, in addition to making some additional income for the upkeep of their families.
The advice by the HOS is indeed timely, informative, and capable of changing the lives of many workers if they adhered to it. We welcome the idea wholeheartedly.
Without a doubt, the majority of the workers in the state rely on co-operative societies to survive the hard times. However, some have exhausted their capacity to obtain loans from those bodies due to family demands and other existential challenges that they face daily.
Besides, the state government had stepped in some time ago by approving promotion arrears owed to workers, provided food palliatives, and three-month special grants. Workers and their families are also benefiting from some of the empowerment programmes and social services offered by the state government during this hard period.
For instance, the state has some social protection and empowerment programmes like Wealth and Job Creation, Girl-Child Empowerment, Rural Youth Skill Acquisition, and the Delta Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (D.CARES), which workers have directly or indirectly benefited from.
However, coming at a time when many workers are left with little or no options, the idea of civil servants engaging in homestead farming should be given a priority, if workers are to surmount the effects of the present economy and achieve food security.
While the advantages are unlimited, the homestead farming can help the civil servants to guarantee food supply, manage expenses on food, generate income, and meet other domestic needs during this trying period.
It is possible to achieve the set goals of homestead farming with greater commitment and dedication. The arable land available in parts of the state is also an advantage. If undertaken, workers can harvest cassava, yams, corn, watermelon, vegetables, etc., with less stress.
But the government needs to show a disposition towards helping civil servants to surmount some of the problems that have militated against food shortage and security in the state and the country in general. These include herdsmen’s destruction of crops and attack on farmers even in semi-urban areas, lack of resources to invest in farming, absence of extension services, limited time to undertake such a venture, and availability of land or space.
Consequently, we call on the state government to match its suggestion with action by encouraging workers with agricultural inputs such as improved seedlings and fertilisers. Government can also provide land and assist workers to form co-operative societies to acquire lands and access loans, which should be graded according to levels, to commence work.
Moreover, the government should make it a policy by issuing a circular on homestead farming for Delta workers by embarking on massive awareness campaign to mobilise workers and set up a bureau to monitor and ensure the implementation, and judicious use of loans for the same purpose.
It behoves workers in the state to appreciate that in this era of food insecurity and high cost of goods and services, homestead farming is the way to go.
