Economic hardship: Soludo’s wife advises Anambra women to embrace backyard gardening

Nonye Soludo, the first lady of Anambra, says women in the state should embrace backyard garden practice to help their families cope with the rising cost of living.

Nonye, the founder of Healthy Living Initiative, spoke when she received a group of Anambra female farmers and businesswomen in Awka, the state capital.

She said home garden practices have helped families as primary and regular sources of diet and nutrition.

The Anambra first lady said backyard gardens will also reduce dependence on commercial food products which are mostly expensive.

“Economic circumstances do not completely determine healthy living practices, including the choice of what we consume to keep the body in good shape,” she said.

“We also need to dispel the notion that eating healthy is about eating expensive food products.

“You only need to go to the small farm behind your house to pick up what the body needs to be healthy.

“This is why I am encouraging families to embrace backyard or home gardens and this is in line with the state government’s agricultural agenda.

“Those who live in areas without enough land for subsistence farming purposes can adopt sack farming, which does not cost anything to set up.

“By having such farms around the house, households can have easier and healthier alternatives, cut down their costs of living and boost the green environment.’’

Nonye said her healthy living campaign aims to sensitise households on adopting healthy living as a culture.

“One of our goals is to ensure that families in Anambra prioritise nutritional values of what they eat to improve their family health,” she added.

On her part, Esther Onyekesi, the leader of the group, said women have a major role to play in food production and should be given every necessary support.

Onyekesi, who is also the women’s leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state, encouraged her colleagues to key into backyard farming to enhance food security.

She added that the recent hike in prices of foodstuffs should encourage everyone to go into farming.

She commended the governor’s wife for supporting the women groups in the state.