Ibrahim Olayeni, has called on Lagos residents to embrace urban farming and promote agricultural practice to increase food production in the state.

Olayeni, made the call during a programme organised by the Lagos State Muslims Community titled “Mosque Documentation in Conjunction With Market Convenience.”

According to Mr Olayeni, who is a staff of the Lagos state ministry of agriculture, urban farming is farming carried out in the city or in highly developed areas with high human population and economic activities.

He said that urban farming involved taking advantage of little space and meagre resource facilities to practise agriculture and enhance food production.

Some benefits of urban farming included increased food production, provision of job opportunities as well as efficient use of little spaces available, he said.

The expert said that urban farming would also attract young people to farming activities, which would in turn enhance learning and innovation in modern agricultural practices.

He said that crops majorly planted in urban farming are leafy vegetables which include soko, tete, ewedu, spring onion and lettuce.

Mr Olayeni said that fruit vegetables like tomatoes, pepper, carrot, onion, okro, pepper, cabbage, and crops like yam could also be planted in urban farming.

He said that communities, which engaged in urban farming could form cooperatives and register with relevant government agencies and ministries to attract recognition and other benefits.

Mr Olayeni encouraged residents to approach any agricultural training centres in Lagos state like the Farm Service Centre, Oko Oba, Agege; Agric. Training Institute, Araga, Epe; and Agric. Training Institute, Avia, Badagry for more enlightenment.

Also speaking, the convener of the programme, Adele Sanni, urged Muslims to organise themselves and purchase foodstuff in bulk to ease food hardship in the council.

A Muslim scholar, Tajudeen Uzamat, urged the Muslim communities to engage in urban farming, saying it could assist the government to reduce food hardship in the country.

In another vein, a director with the Lagos State Land Bureau, Olawale Ojikutu, urged Lagos Muslims to obtain proper land documentation of their mosques and personal landed property to avoid future forfeiture.

He said that Islam’s second holiest mosque in Medina was given to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) free but he rejected the free offer, bought the land and documented it for future purpose.

Mr Ojikutu advised mosque leaders to get a committee or trustee to oversee the affairs of the mosque, saying that this would help them pursue proper documentation from the government.

He said that all owners of landed property, including mosque, should ensure they obtained the title, building and survey plan.

Mr Ojikutu added that the Lagos state government had extended amnesty for the mosque committee to approach the appropriate ministry for documentation.

(NAN)