Discussants on the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, FUNAAB Radio 89.5FM live interactive programme, Boiling Point, have called for attitudinal change to mitigate the effects of climate change in order to create healthier and resilience environment as well as boost agricultural production.
The panelists said there is the need to embark on public health enlightenment “to bring the issue of climate change to Nigerians’ consciousness as it affects food production in Nigeria”. Dr. Adewale Taiwo, who is from the College of Environmental Resources Management (COLERM) of FUNAAB, charged governments at all levels, to provide basic amenities to cushion the effects of climate change and channel their energy into agriculture to have food in abundance. He added that “the government needs to diversify to agriculture to stabilise the economy and give grants and training to farmers with proper monitoring, provide improve varieties, encourage mechanised farming to boost production, and move away from rainfed-agriculture”.
Dr. Taiwo also advised the government to embrace irrigation farming and encourage hydroponics agriculture to be food-sufficient in the country. “FUNAAB is proposing to have a department that would be channeled towards climate change and environment”, he added. On his part, a Public Health Officer, Sanitarian Taiwo Akinwumi, also talked about climate change and food security, saying the government should create programmes to help the farmers, like food storage facilities to curb wastages, provide good water management in an industrial way, employ professional environmental officers, concentrate more on agriculture and sustainable energy to have maximum food production. “Nigerians should stop disposing waste indiscriminately. We create awareness that people should go for vegetables, fruits, reduce food wastage and consider waterways while disposing their waste while industries should regulate their power supply and practice proper waste management”, he added.