Bauchi First Lady Urges Families to Embrace Home Gardening to Cut Food Costs, Improve Nutrition

By Amina Umar:

The First Lady of Bauchi State, Dr Aisha Bala Mohammed, has called on women and households across the state to revive the culture of home gardening as a practical solution to improving family nutrition, reducing food expenses and strengthening household food security.

Dr Mohammed made the appeal while speaking to journalists after returning to Bauchi from Abuja. She said the visit was part of efforts to encourage more people, particularly women, to embrace farming and modern home-based agricultural practices.

According to her, home gardening has long been a tradition among women in Northern Nigeria, with many families cultivating vegetables such as onions, tomatoes, okra, moringa and spinach within their compounds, often using small spaces close to areas where water from domestic activities was readily available.

She recalled that families once harvested fresh vegetables daily to prepare nutritious local meals, a practice she said contributed significantly to healthier homes and reduced dependence on markets.

The First Lady, however, lamented that the tradition has gradually declined, forcing many households to rely almost entirely on purchased food. She noted that this shift has contributed to the rising cost of living and increasing cases of malnutrition.

Dr Mohammed urged families to return to home gardening, stressing that modern smart agriculture techniques now make it possible to grow vegetables and other crops in buckets, plastic containers and other limited spaces without the need for large farmlands.

She disclosed that her office has organised training programmes for women and schoolchildren on modern farming methods, including techniques for cultivating crops such as ginger in confined spaces. Despite these efforts, she expressed concern that many beneficiaries have yet to fully utilise the knowledge and support provided.

She encouraged women to put the skills they have acquired into practice, saying home gardening would not only improve household nutrition but also reduce food costs and enhance the wellbeing of their families.

The First Lady also advocated for the planting of moringa trees, describing them as highly nutritious and noting that tree planting is considered a lasting act of charity whose benefits continue long after the planter is gone.

Some women who accompanied Dr Mohammed during the farm inspection pledged to adopt home gardening in their homes.

They said they were inspired by her advocacy and would promote the practice in their communities as a means of improving household livelihoods and encouraging sustainable food production.