UI unveils safe planting, gardening toolkit for children

In a bid to mitigate the trend of junk food consumption by Nigerian children, the University of Ibadan, on Thursday, unveiled a toolkit for kids to carry out safe planting and gardening activities at school and home environments.

The toolkit concealed in a box includes garden tools like a hand spade and fork, hand gloves, watering can and packs of vegetable seeds, as well as a step-by-step guidebook on how to start the garden and recipes and a book.

Unveiling the toolkit to pupils from selected primary schools in Ibadan, the Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs Toyin Balogun, supported by Special Adviser to Governor Seyi Makinde on Students Matters, Mr Victor Olojede, described the toolkit initiate as very strategic and central, saying it would eradicate the challenges associated with planting and gardening in the home environment.

She said, “The facilitator of this intervention has put in place a catch them young strategy because by the time, our children have an understanding of the basics and as it happens, the process of getting involved in the process of having nutritious meals has been broken down to a form where it is so easy and so simple that the youngest child here today can identify and be able to practicalise the steps it takes to having a nutritious meal.”

Balogun, disclosed that a nutrition department would be established in the ministry, noting that the toolkit concept would boost the mandate of the department.

The initiative, developed by the Kids Nutri-Garden Vacation School Programme of the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics of the university to address the food deficit in the country is envisioned to promote gardening in schools and homes for improved intake of nutritious meals.

Speaking, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships of the premier University, Professor Oluyemisi Bamgbose who stressed the importance of healthy foods in the development of kids, said inclusion of children in planting and gardening process would engender a strong bond with mother nature.

“What  Ejoh is doing is something that is very commendable, and when we teach them from young, teaching what a seedis; how to plant it; how to nurture it; and how to eat it. Many of the diseases we are talking about will not come about.

“So I commend Nutri-Gardens, this initiative as it is not just an avenue for planting of bolsting the agricultural sector. It is an initiative, the process learning and empowered our children to form healthy eating habits, while ensuring that they maintain a strong bond with modern nature.

“Nutri-Garden system is simple, we get the two kids, we observe the wonders of nature. And armed with this kit that contains a manual, the seed packs, basic gardening equipment and recipes from fresh meals, we can grow produce and live a sustainable lifestyle. We are also creating for our children healthy lifestyle and equipping these children with long life skills,” Bamgbose.

Coordinator of Kids Nutri-Garden Vacation School Programme and Acting Head of Department, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Ibadan, Dr Shirley Isi-Ejoh said the toolkit intervention was to groom the children on the process of producing and healthy eating

“Children are eating a lot of junk foods, people are not eating healthy, people, don’t like vegetables. So the work we’ve been doing, we realise that, if this kind of thing continues, maybe we don’t eat well there, we become sick and there will be problem in our society. So we have to think of a way. Adults, have grown, but we know we can influence them from young, so better to catch them young. So we started to intervene from the level of the children, so we started the garden and nutrition education together, and we’ve been working on this for several years. We realise that if people really want to continue to plant, how would they start? Where do they go from here? So we said there has to be a guide, a toolkit guide but, you know, it’s not the children that cook the food by themselves. So they have to do it at home it is their Daddies and mummies that will still make the food decision. But if they have garden in school and they have at home, it means whatever we tell them in school, they will go home and practise it,” Is-Ejoh stated.

Isi-Ejoh advocated provision of grants to school for setting up of school garden to enable the Nigerian children grow their foods and also attain food security.

Highlights of the event was a panel discussion on inter-generational interaction in food production chain, exhibition of seeds and garden produce, raffle draw and presentation of food packs sponsored by food producers and corporate partners.

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