Empowering Food Security in 21st Century through Container Gardening in North-East, Nigeria

Mohammed Yunusa, Maimuna M. Zabi, Muhammad T. Adekunle, Mulikat Agboola, Munirat Shehu Mamman, Adama Mohammed

Abstract


This paper explores the concept of food insecurity, with a particular focus on malnutrition, which manifests in various forms and dimensions. It clearly defines malnutrition as a pervasive issue that affects individuals across the board. Malnutrition, in its impact, particularly targets children, resulting in devastating effects on their growth and development. Moreover, it is portrayed as a global phenomenon that extends into every corner of the world, including Northeastern Nigeria. In the present era, science and technology have introduced various methods to combat malnutrition for sustainable development. These methods encompass biotechnology, tissue culture, irrigation, and poultry farming. Among these approaches, container gardening stands out. Container gardening involves cultivating plants in containers of different sizes and shapes. Today, it is gaining popularity among both rural and urban dwellers for various reasons, including inflation, insecurity, recession, and more. The paper emphasizes that it is feasible to cultivate a wide range of plant species in containers, with the only limitation being the size of the container. With convenience, individuals can successfully grow tomatoes, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, onions, and red peppers around their homes to meet family nutritional needs and generate additional income. Subsequently, the paper details the formulation of growth media for container gardening. In conclusion, the paper provides recommendations, highlighting the importance of people adopting container gardening as a farming system to address family nutritional deficiencies and other related issues.


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References


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