A climate expert, Benson Fasanya, has called for improved waste management practices, including composting, waste segregation and biogas production, to reduce methane emissions and strengthen food security.

Mr Fasanya, founder and executive director of the Centre for Earthworks (CFEW), said on Friday in Abuja that poor handling of organic waste from farms, households and dumpsites remains a major source of methane emissions.

“Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas and ensuring we manage methane emissions means we will be able to reduce the warming of the planet,” he said.

He explained that methane is produced when organic materials decompose without oxygen, adding that agricultural activities contribute to emissions through animal waste and plant residues.

He said methane emissions contribute to climate change and agriculture remains one of the sectors most hit by the situation, with farmers experiencing crop losses, diseases, reduced yields and threats to food security.

According to him, improved waste management systems, including source segregation, composting and biogas production, are practical measures for reducing methane emissions.

“Instead of allowing organic waste or farm waste to decompose and lead to more methane emissions, we can manage it and convert it into compost,” he said.

He said trapped methane from organic waste could be converted into biogas for cooking, electricity generation, and other productive uses.

“Biogas can be used in farms, abattoirs and communities because when methane is trapped, it can easily be used for energy production,” he said.

The expert said waste management should move beyond disposal to embrace a circular economy approach that encourages reuse, repair and recycling.

He identified poorly managed dumpsites as significant methane sources, noting that mixed disposal of organic and non-organic waste increases emissions.

Mr Fasanya said CFEW had trained farmers, communities and small businesses on methane reduction techniques through organic waste management.

He said separating waste at the source would allow communities to produce compost, briquettes and other environmentally friendly products.

He said black soldier flies could help convert organic waste into valuable compost, offering a sustainable approach to methane reduction, environmental protection and job creation.

He said such innovations could create employment opportunities across the waste management value chain while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“The management of methane emissions has a lot of potential in producing jobs and opportunities in the value chain,” he said.

On methane emissions in the Niger Delta, he said communities had suffered environmental impacts from extractive activities, including pollution from oil and gas operations.

Oil and gas operations are among the major sources of methane emissions in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta, where gas flaring and fugitive emissions from petroleum activities have caused environmental concerns.

He called for stronger collaboration among communities, regulators, researchers, civil society organisations and the media to address methane emissions.

Mr Fasanya also urged policymakers to strengthen the implementation of existing climate policies, saying enforcement remained a major challenge.

He said awareness creation, capacity building, policy implementation and community participation were critical to reducing methane emissions and protecting food security.

(NAN)