Benin Republic — While fertilizer constitutes a large percentage of the input needed for farm production in Nigeria, Songhai, the largest and most productive farm in the West African sub-region based in Benin Republic is into massive production of assorted crops and vegetables among others, without the application of fertilizer, director and founder of the farm, Reverend Father Godfrey Nzamujo, has said.

Nzamujo said through the integrated system of farming being practiced in the farm, Songhai re-circles waste products from its plants, birds, fish ponds and lakes to irrigate farms to the best results. He said that way, the farm maintains fertile farmlands and produces high yielding crops through the management and use of waste that are ordinarily disposed off.

"Through our integrated system of farming, we re-circle the waste products from the chicken and plants to become input in plant production. The plant waste are used to feed the animals and fish and the waste water from the fish is used to irrigate the plants. So, you can see that we have zero emission research initiative," he said.

When this reporter visited the farm at Porto-Novo in Benin Republic, stems from banana plantations, waste from poultry and other plants were seen gathered in heaps, decomposed until they develop maggots which are used in feeding fish while the sandy portion that form manure is used in farms. The water from the large fish ponds and artificial lake of the fishery section of the farm in Parakou is used to irrigate farms.

Dr Kabir Inuwa, an agricultural scientist that visited the farm for study on the integrated system of farming adopted by Songhai, said most farmers that are battling for fertilizer in Nigeria could commence integrated farming by using manure, poultry farm waste and manure from decomposed trees and grasses on their farms.

"Housewives, young farmers, school children and smallholder farmers can fit into this system very well. In the villages, people are already into this integrated system of farming unknowingly though not up to this magnitude. You see children on donkeys moving manure from decomposed waste bins. They use the maggots to feed their chickens. They use grass and plants to feed cows and use the cow waste on the plants. That is informal integrated farming.

"Our local governments can help youths set up fish ponds and artificial lakes for fishery alongside poultry, cattle range and farms for crop production. That will provide avenue for integrated farming and will reduce dependence on fertilizer. That way, a good number of youths can be gainfully employed and the farm produce like chicken, fish and the crops will be brought closer to the people.

"I am not comfortable with the huge sums of money governments at various levels are spending on the importation of fertilizer and subsequent grant of subsidy to farmers when we have alternative. I read in your paper a long time ago that Senator Ahmed Sani Yarima does not use fertilizer in his farm because he is also using integrated system. He has big poultry farm and a mill for the processing of the poultry feed. His crop farm produces the maize he is using to mill as feed for the chicken, the poultry waste is used to irrigate his farms. If a big farmer can do that, the smallholder farmer can equally do it," he said.