Kebbi First Lady Drives Home Gardening Initiative for Healthier Living

By Umar Faruk Birnin Kebbl 

Kebbi State First Lady, Hajia Zainab Nasare Nasir Idris, is championing a groundbreaking initiative to revive home gardening and school gardens, a practice that has been dormant in Nigeria for years. This movement, spearheaded by Nigeria's First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, aims to promote healthy living and natural diets, steering away from modern practices that may cause health issues due to the use of organic fertilizers.

The First Lady, represented by Hajiya Ramatu Usman Dabai, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Animal and Husbandry in Kebbi State, highlighted the significance of this initiative during a two-day workshop for training trainers at Jamvaly Hotel Hall in Birnin Kebbi. She emphasized that everyday crops like tomatoes and spinach are no longer cultivated in home gardens but rather in farms using organic materials, posing health and environmental risks.

By the end of the workshop, participants are expected to gain comprehensive knowledge on home gardening and school gardens to share with others. This initiative aligns with Nigeria's First Lady's Renewed Hope Agenda, specifically under the agricultural component of the program. The First Lady urged participants to actively engage with the training and maximize its benefits.

The workshop was organized by Transforming Lives Through Nutrition in collaboration with the Kebbi State Ministry of Agriculture. Its primary objective is to equip participants with valuable skills in plant care, soil management, and pest control. This initiative is part of a broader effort to promote home gardening and food security in Kebbi State, led by the First Lady.

As part of her commitment to this cause, Hajia Zainab Nasare Nasir Idris has also launched her own home garden, serving as a model for the potential benefits of small-scale farming . Additionally, she has announced plans for a national gardening competition, with a star prize of N20 million for the best garden . This competition aims to encourage widespread adoption of home gardening, providing immediate benefits in terms of food availability and health, while also strengthening local economies by reducing dependency on imported produce.