Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, the Association of Organic Agriculture Practitioners of Nigeria (NOAN) and the Anambra State Government have intensified efforts to promote organic agriculture and strengthen food security through the inauguration of an Agroecology Centre of Excellence (ACE) and the launch of the Anambra State “Ugbo-Ndu” Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) group.
The initiatives, inaugurated at UNIZIK, are designed to enhance agricultural research, farmer training, food traceability, organic produce verification, technology transfer and market access, while providing practical opportunities for students and young agripreneurs.
The event, organised by UNIZIK’s Institute of Organic Agriculture, Agroecology and Sustainability (IOAS), in collaboration with NOAN, Healthy Foods for Consumers Initiative (HeFci) and Food Soldiers, with support from Agroecology Fund, was themed “Right to Food Traceability.”
Speaking through the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Hilda Ewosiida Osisioma, UNIZIK Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ugochukwu Bond Stanley Anyaehie, commended the initiative, describing it as an opportunity for the university to deepen its contributions to research, innovation and sustainable food production.
Representing the Anambra State Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Ben Chuks Odoemena, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Mrs. Chinyere Nwabachili, said the initiative was consistent with Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s vision of building a smart and economically viable state.
Nwabachili said the state government was prioritising the commercialisation of agriculture as part of efforts to increase food production, improve farmers’ livelihoods and strengthen food security.
The NOAN President, Prof. Olatunji Olayinka Marcus, represented by Dr. Rose Kanu, said the launch marked an important development in the expansion of organic agriculture and farmer-led verification systems.
She explained that the PGS provides a community-based alternative to conventional third-party certification by relying on transparency, peer review and shared accountability among farmers, consumers and other stakeholders.
According to her, the system would make organic certification and verification more accessible to smallholder farmers while increasing consumer confidence in organic products.
She stressed that consumers had the right to know where their food came from, how it was produced and whether it was safe for consumption.
The Coordinator, ECOWAS West African Secretariat of Ecological Organic Agriculture at NOAN, Mr Oyewole Gbadamosi, said the Agroecology Centre would provide training and capacity development across the agricultural value chain.
He listed crop and livestock production, processing, agripreneurship, technology, e-marketing and value addition among the areas to be covered.
Gbadamosi said the initiative would help make agriculture more attractive to young people, create employment and strengthen local food systems across West Africa.
The Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, UNIZIK, Prof. Okorie Okoro Ndukwe, described the centre as a significant milestone, noting that it would function as a “living laboratory” where scientific knowledge could be combined with indigenous agricultural practices.
He pledged the faculty’s support for research, student training, technology transfer, agribusiness development and policy engagement.
Also speaking, agriculturist Prof. Nkiru Theresa Meludu disclosed that the centre had already cultivated more than 15 crop species and recorded three harvests within about two and a half months of establishing its farm.
She added that the centre had over 200 broiler and Noiler birds and had provided free practical training for students.
According to her, plans are also underway to preserve indigenous seeds and extend agroecological training to people under custodial and non-custodial supervision.
The Coordinator of the Agroecology Centre of Excellence, Dr. Uko Ibeabuchi, said the centre was established to bridge the gap between academic research and practical farming through research, training, innovation and capacity development.
Ibeabuchi appreciated UNIZIK, NOAN, Agroecology Fund and other partners for their support, expressing optimism that the initiative would contribute significantly to sustainable food production.
The inauguration attracted academics, farmers, policymakers, government officials, development partners and organic agriculture practitioners, who called for stronger collaboration to promote organic agriculture, food traceability and climate-resilient food systems in Nigeria and beyond.
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