BY GORDI UDEAJAH
National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI) Umudike, Abia State rose from their 2025 two-day Annual Review and Planning Workshop stressing the urgent need to sustain agricultural practices that focus on root and tuber crops, maintaining that doing so, will address the food security challenges in Nigeria.
The Workshop also highlighted that to address global food insecurity arising from increasing food demand, agricultural production must increase by 70-100% by 2050 due to a growing population adding that with a growing population that demands increased food production, the integration of advanced materials, particularly through nanotechnology, offers innovative solutions that would enhance agricultural productivity while mitigating environmental impacts.
The Host NRCRI Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Professor Chiedozie Egesi in his opening address, reflected on the NRCRI past year activities saying ” it is evident that we ( NRCRI ) made remarkable strides in advancing agricultural research and development across Nigeria and Africa, particularly in the root and tuber crops subsector and our collaboration with diverse partners, aligned with Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Food and Nutrition Security, poverty alleviation and wealth creation in Nigeria, has yielded significant milestones”.
While declaring the workshop opening session, chaired by the former Vice Chancellor Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), Professor Jude Njoku, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari through the ministry’s Abia State Coordinator Dr Aloysius Mba, urged all the stakeholders to , as they brainstorm, intensify collaboration across sectors by sharing knowledge, experience and resources.
The Minister drew attention to the persistent challenges of climate change, emerging pests and diseases, population growth and changing dietary patterns, positing that “research must continue to find innovative solutions, such as developing drought-resistant varieties and employing sustainable farming practices that can withstand the various shocks we face”.
Goodwill messages were delivered by the Abia State Governor Dr Alex Otti represented by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr Cliff Agbaeze, the Provost, Federal College of Agriculture, Ishiagu (FCAI), through his Deputy Dr John Nwawuisi, IITA Ibadan represented by Dr. Mercy Diebiru-Ojo (General Manager, Go-Seed), Mr. Chinedu Agbara of Sahel Consulting, and HRM Eze Ben Oriaku, Dike 1 of Umudike Ukwu and the Chairman, Land donor of NRCRI Umudike.
The workshop which held from 9-10 April at the Institute and had researchers, farmers, allied stakeholders including past NRCRI Chief Executives and retired Directors as participants, highlighted the transformative potential of High Quality Cassava Peel (HQCP) as a sustainable livestock feed alternative which they stated, also promotes economic opportunities and gender equity within the agriculture sector.
They encouraged Stakeholders to foster collaborative partnerships, adopt sustainable agricultural methods, and support initiatives that enhance both productivity and environmental health adding that collective action through these recommendations will be crucial in ensuring a sustainable future for Nigerian agriculture and ultimately contributing to national and global food security.
After their deliberations on the workshop themed “A Sustainable Future for Nigeria’s Agriculture: Focus on Root and Tuber Crop”, the participants made seven points recommendations, among which are: promoting Sustainable Agricultural Practices by encouraging the adoption of integrated pest management, organic farming, and agroecological approaches to minimize reliance on agrochemicals and enhance food safety.
Supporting the HQCP Innovation for livestock feed by providing financial and technical assistance to scale the HQCP mash initiative, ensuring that it effectively addresses feed scarcity and promotes economic opportunities particularly for women, encouraging partnerships among academic institutions, research organizations and the agricultural industry to leverage expertise and resources.
Other recommendations were that collaborations should aim at exploring sustainable agricultural solutions, such as biopesticides derived from root and tuber crops, and aligning efforts with national agricultural sustainability initiatives like the Green Imperative Project of the Federal Government.
“Focusing on utilizing materials such as nanocellulose from agricultural waste to minimize nitrogen and phosphorus leaching hence, this approach can improve nutrient retention in soils, thereby promoting more efficient fertilizer use and reducing environmental pollution.
“Implementing training programs for farmers and processors to educate them about the benefits and methods of utilizing cassava peels for livestock feed, while promoting best practices in processing and marketing.
The recommendations also included launching awareness campaigns to promote HQCP mash and other sustainable feed alternatives, developing market pathways that would connect producers and potential buyers in the livestock feed industry.
The Keynote paper titled “Is there a Role for Materials in Sustainable Root and Tuber Crop Production? was delivered by Dr. Chris Dimkpa, the Head/Chief Scientist, Department of Analytical Chemistry at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), USA.
The Lead Paper titled “Scaling Root and Tuber Crops as Alternative Livestock Feeds for Sustainable Agriculture – Turning Cassava Peels from Want-not to Waste-not by building High Quality Cassava Peel (HQCP), Mash Factories at Small Scale Levels, was delivered by Dr. Iheanacho Okike of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan.
Key highlights of the papers were that – to address the global food insecurity arising from increasing food demand, agricultural production must increase by 70-100% by 2050 due to population growth.
– both natural and synthetic materials are essential for enhancing agricultural productivity, while the application of nanotechnology improves the effectiveness of agricultural materials as it minimizes their environmental footprint including the development of nano chemicals for better pest and disease management.
– partnerships between universities, research institutions and industries are crucial for harnessing natural resources and developing sustainable agricultural solutions, aligning with national sustainability initiatives.
According to these key highlights, HQCP for livestock feed innovation provides a sustainable solution for Nigeria’s growing feed scarcity, with the potential to generate about 200,000 jobs, while current agricultural practices that rely heavily on agrochemicals lead to pollution and decreased efficiency and thus highlighting the need for more sustainable methods.
