A group, School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG), an Abuja based Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) has moved to tackle the challenge of perennial food scarcity and production in Nigeria.
The group an affiliate of the FixPolitics initiative based in Abuja, said it has put modalities in place to motivate school children to participate in the production of various agricultural products across the country.
The group, which will officially launch its capstone project titled ‘Operation Feed My Family’ on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, at the Delight International School, Oloodi-Apapa in Lagos, added that SPPG will collaborate with the pilot school and the Government Secondary School, Wuse, FCT Abuja, to realise the initiative.
The School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) is an unconventional school designed to attract, develop and produce a new generation of political leaders committed to advancing sustainable multi-sectoral development in Nigeria.
The Lagos Team Lead of the project, Mrs. Olaoluwa Makinde explained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abakaliki through the group’s representative that the group is working with students and relevant staff of the schools to demonstrate the concepts of urban and community based farming.
“Our group is working on one of the Sustainable Development Goals – Zero Hunger. Our particular interest is to create awareness, stir up interest and catalyse simple actions that can contribute to improving individual and household food and nutrition security.
“As part of the SPPG school programme curriculum, the students are to complete a community-focused capstone project in several areas anchored on the SDG goal, which Food Security is one.
“The Capstone projects are vehicles for students on the programme to initiate and provide meaningful contributions to areas of their interest within defined local communities.
“Operation “Feed My Family’ is a theme programme developed in line with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) launched programme to build Green Cities as a way to combat Food Insecurity as evidenced at the onset of the Covid 19 global pandemic, especially across cities.
“Operation Feed My Family is expected to help school children engage around growing commonly consumed fruits and vegetables in schools, and encourage them to replicate same in their homes and communities with necessary support.
“This will encourage nutrition, sensitive agricultural production and motivate associated learning
and nutrition education among participating schools, families and communities.
“Another important component of the project is the ‘trash to treasure’ concept of the project to promote utilisation of used plastic, tyres, buckets and other discarded bases as planting media thereby encouraging environmental consciousness among the growing student populations.
“The project is estimated to cost over one million naira in direct cost to execute in the two selected schools,” Makinde stated.
