Compost process to boost agric output

As part of its collaboration with FCT Administration on waste management, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) experts carried out training on compost for staff of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), that the training would help boost agricultural output if more individuals adopted the Home Composting as a source of rich nutrient that boosts plant growth.
The Chief Advisor of the JICA team for the Integrated Solid Waste Management Project (ISWM), Mr. Yoshinosuke Hamada, spoke about the importance of the training and the need for FCTA staff to also make the compost in their homes.
Hamada said that the home compost is what is being used in Japan and it had been a success so far.
The Staff were taken through a step-by-step training on how home compost is made using the Takakura method, the Satellite Town Development Department (STDD) and Area Council Secretariat were part of this training.
According to him, though it had not been tested in Nigeria and seeing that the environmental factors and weather conditions are not the same in both countries, the Staff should ensure that they prepare the compost in their homes to see how well it comes out before introducing into their farms or gardens.
“Materials that could be used for compost include, food scraps, fruits, vegetables, eggshells, teabags, nutshells, shredded newspaper, cardboard, paper, grass clippings, houseplants, hay, straw, leaves, sawdust, cotton, wool rags, hair, fur and fire place ash.
“Materials like coal, charcoal ash, fat, grease, oils, butter, sour cream, meat, fish bones, dog or cat feces, yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides that might contain substances harmful to plants or create terrible odours that attract pests such as rodents and flies and which might also kill beneficial composting organisms or contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens and viruses harmful to humans are not good for composting.
He said: benefits of Composting were listed to include Soil enrichment, suppression of plant diseases, pests control, clean fertilizer usage and above all, it reduces methane emissions from landfills, thereby lowering the carbon footprint.
The Head of Department (HOD) Solid Waste Management Department of AEPB Mr. Odunfa Amos and a Deputy Director of STDD, Mr. Segun Olusola Rufus urges the participants to practice what they had learnt.
“Component of integrated solid waste management, composting helps reduce volume of waste brought daily to the dump site and encourages the reuse of organic waste and also its recycling as rich compost fertilizer.
Hamada said, composting is simply organic material mixed with soil to help plants grow.
“The process which is an aspect of the Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) program and Recycle has been widely used in many Asian countries like Japan to maintain and a cleaner environment.