ERE are about a bUlion pigs In tbe world at any onc time, and more than half of the world's lligs arc In China. onc of the nrst places the- wild boar (Sus sc.rofa) was domesticated
T;
more Ih lln 9 ,000 year .ago, to the chinese,
(FAD). pork Is the wold's most widely eaten meal
and It Is also a
good source of protem. Iron. zinc and
B-vltamins. 1b1s declaration by FAO was also buttressed by the American Meat InsUtute (AMI) in Its report. add-
"meal"willeh is stW called pork up WI today. Pork Is th e 'WOld's most popular meat. wtth 85 hUUOIi l~ns tc1Dg conswned annually with a t.hln1
In fat conleDI and calories to lean poultry costs.
morelthan llecl: .or chicken,
and eggs, eatUes. sheep and goals provided meat
. ru:yordlng (O IFood and I\gr1culture OrganIsauon
tog that numerous pork costs today are equivalent "For thousands of years, poultry supplied meal and m1Ik meals. The meat derived from caules 15
known as beef, meat derived from pigs Is called a pork and that from poultry is called chicken . However, pork Is the most widely eaten meat in the world accounting for over 36 per cent of the world meat Intake. It Is followed by pouJtry and bttf with about 33 per cent and 24 per cent respectively. However. It should be noted that the uWlSatlon and s ubsequent consumptlon of dIfferent anJ.ma1species vary as cultural preferences and retigJous betiefs aie obseJVed.· AMI report«l.
• yam is n ot spiritual attack on farmers' 'Colouration m
(~mmon belief among some people. especlally fpnners and yam consumers that any s pcc tc 01 yam thai does not ha ve a white colo ur 15 no! good for human consumption and that the price of such a tuber of ya m should be c h eaper Ihan other s pec ies of yams. Including yellow yam (LlfDscoreo cayenslS). has been described as a 'T1ere fallacy. old fable and an hypothesls whlcn 1- aJ no scientific backing. An agricu lture expert and a yam productio n specialist. Dr Ilobert Asledu. dis closed this when addreSSing j OlJmallsls recentl y a l the Intema. tional Ins Ulu te of Tropi cal Ag ri c ulture (IITA!. Tbadan. Oyo Slate. According to him. there a re some rabies at. lached to thc producUon. markeung and consump. Uon of yam ln Mr1ca. especially In Nigeria. which need some c1ru1ficaUons and explanaUons because U,ere an certain fables which we experts used to hear pboul yam. but whldl are not correct. Asked whe ther It Is wrong to eat colo ura! yam. Or ~Iedu. who 15 Ule Director. Research for De· vdopment 1P,4DJ. UTA and ProJecl Olrei:tor. Yam Improveme nt for Income a nd Food Security In West iMrica O1IFSWAI. said. 'as long as what you are euUng Is known 85 yam. then you are free to conUnuc with Its consumption . Allhough. Ulere are different .:yxs of ya m .md Ulelr popularity and acceptability depends on cu lt ure. "But I wa.llt to say that yam 15 good. nutritious and a of .:raps which can be used to change
1:
r----~-_;:
Ule lives of fanners for good. It Is also a women empowerment c rop and a poverty- fighung crop In Mrica. especially fo r self reliant and YOUUl devel · opmenL Dr Asledu further explained that any colour alteraUon or variatJon In yam tubers cou ld be as a result of certain factors which can be explained
I
F Niger1a 10 find a soIuUon to Its food Insecuri ty. then there Is the need to Increase:: tJle tempo of awareness on development and pracUce of organic
ramung.
A professor of plant science at the Covenlly Un!\'C.rsity. United Kingdom. Phliliarrls. gave this advice recentJy In lbadan. Oyo Slate. while delivering a Itt· Iu~ UU«I: Concepts and MIsconcepUons of Organic Agriculture. According lo him. the knowledge of organic farming could be made populru- In Nigeria Irthc CUrriculum of this type of farmlng Is Introduced Into the tcaching aud pracUcai Umelables o r modules of agricul tu ral studies In COlleges of agriculture. as well as In unl· verslUes across the counlly. TI1C don explained Umt even tJle 2008 United Nation (UN I report observed Ulat organic agriculture fn developing countr1es. had contr1buted to an fncrease In food producUon. thus cnsurtngf!1Od security UlfOUgh tJle promoUon of natural cnvlronmen t. community co· a nd partnerships. as .....e U as boost educaI
sClenuncally. He said If yam tubers ha s oth er unfamiliar colour Ilke brown. purple. red. etc. then It means there was an enzym atic reaction . adding thai such colour c hange could be allrlbuted to wrong use; mlsuse or abuse of fann Inputs like ferul lzer or oth e r chemicals. SaId he. 'yam colouraUon or browning of yam, though common, Is caused by feruUzer mis use or abuse. Misuse of pesticides. herbicides or other chcmlcal Inputs. as It 15 the practice of some fann ers In certain quarters /e nvtronmenl. would den· nllely lead 10 some e n zymatic reactions which would definitely alter Ule colour of such ya m lubers: he stated. n'e rcnowned yam breeder also affinned that wrong use of farm Inputs during p lantIng season would also manifest on the texture of yam tubers and may also alfect Ule sIZe of such tubers. 'But we s hould make It clear that Ulere 15 a vanely of yam Umt Is whi le in colour and would not be &f. feeled by enzymaUc reactions. But all the same. I want to encourage o ur people not to see any yam with colour as very bad or believe that It 15 not good for consumpUon.· 'Also. Ulose who misuse. abuse of fann Inputs s h ou ld seek caution and people who lInk a colourallon in yam tuber wtU, spiritual attack or inclInation Ul a1 It Is eliller gods or goddess that are a ngry with 8uch farmers to disabu se U,elr mlnd a nd not believe s uch a grand faUler fablc.he slated .
On some mlsconcepUons and fallacies attached 10 the pracUce or organic farmfng In Nlger1a and mosl ImportanUy. fn the conUncnt of ACrtca. Professor ~Iar ris who Is also the Project Coord Inator. Centre fo r Agro-Ecology and food Security.ICAFS) Covenlly Unlverslly. United Kingdom. cxplalned Ulat organic farm· fng re main UIC best form of pracUcc In agriculture. addfng that no matter Ule level of negau ve relXlrts aboul this type or farmIng. organiC rarmlng 15 good. easy to practice a nd undcrstand. conlrlbute im mensely to large scalc produCUon of roods and It is a lso a sun: way of achieving food security. espeelally In ACrica. "It Is better to tell peoplc that all the common mls· concepUons and negaUve reports about organiC farmIng C81UlOt be substanuated. All the bad news about organic farntIng are all fables without emplr1cal evtdence or scIcoUfic proof. organiC fanning has been In prac· Uce for long and II Is not an old fashioned," he stated.