Appraising the Roles of Sustainable Organic Farming Practices in Enhancing Food Security and Livelihoods in Rural Communities in Rivers State, Nigeria

This study appraised the roles sustainable organic farming practices in enhancing food security and livelihoods in rural communities in Rivers State, Nigeria. three specific objectives were used which includes to: examine the level of knowledge of farmers on sustainable organic farming practices in Rivers State, identify the sustainable organic farming practices currently practiced by farmers in the area, ascertain how organic farming methods enhance food production security and livelihoods, in the study area. Two hypotheses were stated to guide the study. A sample size of 400 crop farmers was selected through the multistage sampling technique which involved purposive, simple random and proportionate sampling techniques at various stages of the study. Questionnaire instrument designed in a 4-point Likert type rating scale was engaged to gather the data from the respondents. Weighted mean score was the descriptive statistics used to analyze the data, while linear regression was employed to test the hypotheses at 5% level of significance. The result showed that farmers' knowledge about sustainable organic farming practices (GM =3.28), enhanced food production security and livelihoods in the study area. The study identified: Less use of chemicals like pesticides and herbicides by using natural ways to get rid of pests (x̅=3.52), the use of organic fertilisers, such as manure and compost (x̅=3.47), using cover crops like rye or clover to keep the soil from washing away and keep weeds down (x̅=3.35), using composting organic waste to make the soil more fertile and cut down on the need for synthetic fertilisers (x̅=3.32), promotion of biodiversity on farms, by planting a variety of crops and creating habitats for beneficial insects (x̅=3.30), and changes in crops, like planting legumes between cash crops to make the soil more fertile (x̅=3.30), among others as organic farming practices currently practiced by farmers in the area. The study recommended that: Farmers should continue to actively participate in workshops and training sessions to further enhance their knowledge and skills in sustainable organic farming practices; education and training of farmers on sustainable organic farming practices should be encouraged both by government and nongovernmental organizations in the state, and extension services and training programs should be provided regularly to educate farmers on the benefits of organic farming practices for their continuous implementation by the extension service providers.