10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD GROW SOME OF YOUR FOOD.

 

 

 

TEN REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD GROW YOUR FOOD.

 

1.   Your farm food Tastes Better - You can taste the difference. Fresh food simply tastes better. Your fresh vegetables will taste better than the ones bought from the market..  

2. Local Produce is Better for You - The fresher the produce, the more nutrients it retains. Food picked right from the ground and eaten will be healthier for you than food that has traveled thousands of miles just to sit at the market.

3. Backyard Farms can cost less than the market - On average, a 4-person family spends around N2000 a week on tomatoes, pepper and vegetables. To start your vegetable backyard farm costs less than N500 and you begin to harvest your leafy vegetables in less than 30days. Simply do a calculation on how much you spend on buying tomatoes, pepper and vegetables and compare it to how much you will need to start a small vegetable garden in your compound. To start a small vegetable garden all you need are the seeds, which you might decide to buy or get from the left over’s of the ones you bought from the market. Then you are on !.

4.You Know Where your Food is Coming From - using ethical, chemical-free techniques to keep your backyard vegetable farm flourishing. An average piece of food bought in the market will touch at least 6 set of hands before reaching your table. Food from your yard is solely a relationship between you and the earth. With all the current health and food safety issues, the less hands touching your food the better. Eating from your yard also reduces harmful emissions from the chemicals and pesticides used to accelerate plant growth and extend shelf life. You will be surprised that some of the vegetables bought from the markets were harvested from dirty and polluted environments. In the U.S.A is it believed that Backyard Farms make a Lighter Carbon Footprint i.e On average, food travels 1,500 miles from the farm to your dinner table and every calorie of food eaten requires ten times the fossil fuel to produce, distribute, travel, and refrigerate.

5. Helps you save money – the prices of vegetables and other foodstuff are on the increase. Families spend a lot of money on food. A small garden in your compound will enable you save some money. Also it costs you some money to move from your home to the market.Remember the price of fuel is on the increase.

6. Your backyard farm gives more Variety-  as you plan your garden decide to grow different types of vegetables based on your family preferences. Growing different varieties will result in more interesting dishes for the family.

8. Be part of building a self - sufficient Nigeria –for every one involve in food production either on a small scale or large scale you are a part of Nigerians who believe in ensuring food security in this country. Households food security must be achieved for us to have an hunger free Nigeria. .

9. Backyard Farms Build a Stronger Community. Idea and recipe exchanges, food drives, and a variety of community-based relationships will develop from owning a backyard farm. You might have to teach your neighbour some tips on your food production processes. Excess vegetables might be given out to your neighbours or create a produce exchange with your neighbours.

10. A Backyard Farm is an Investment in Your Future. Controlling your food source, learning from it, and teaching your children and neighbors how to be more self-sustainable is good for everyone involved. With a little work, sun, and water, your backyard farm will always produce food, a basic necessity, regardless of the economy. 

 

By Oluwatomi Olatoye, Green Gold Foods and Beverages Ltd