By Gbemile Oluwatosin
Nnimmo Bassey, Environmentalist and founder of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, (HOMEF), has called on the federal government to find an alternative to chemical fertilizers with the purpose of preserving the biodiversity.
Nnimmo made the call while addressing environmental journalists at the 2018/2019 Academy of the African Arts and Media Earth Initiative (AAMEI), which was convened by broadcaster and environmental enthusiast, Ugochi Oluigbo.
Nnimmo explained that there’s need to adopt best farming practices and ways of preserving seed and the biodiversity as opposed to the constant use of chemicals and fertilizer.
The top environmentalist noted that, “there is a need for dialogue such as sharing ideas and we should try and discourage the usage of chemicals and pesticides by farmers; instead we should promote natural and traditional means of pest and weed control, as by this alone we reduce the level of cancer diseases.”
The Editor of Environews, Micheal Simire, who moderated the discussion, highlighted the effects of Climate Change on Agriculture and Bio-safety, Marine and Coastal Management issues, Ocean Surge, Human Settlement, Renewable energy, Plant Degradation and Forest Degradation as areas of global environmental issues not just for Africa but the world at large.
Simire, urged the eco-journalists to uphold the awareness creation on environmental issues through factual, objective and balanced reporting.
Oluigbo, while speaking about AAMEI 2019 themed, ‘Development and Nature: Reporting the Connection, explained that the initiative was borne out of an urgent need to draw attention to the danger of the environment through environmental activism and media advocacy.
