Agriculture, as many have postulated, once served as the lifewire of the Nigerian economy providing succour for many families as well as providing job opportunities for many. In fact, before the oil boom, most families in Nigeria were deeply engaged in one farming activity or the other.
Families fed well, met needs and expectations, graduates emerged from these families. There is no gainsaying the fact that in Nigeria, there are agrarian families making ends meet through agriculture. It may not be easy especially, considering the high cost of fertilizers, chemicals among others.
Today, apart from relying on other avenues of sourcing money, potential farmers especially those who engage in producing garden egg, pepper, and other farm products that need chemicals, have lamented seriously, the high cost of procuring chemicals for improved farm yields.
As a result of this, farm products are hard hit by pests and diseases leading to low productivity. At the end, farmers end up counting losses instead of gains. What then is the way out of this melee?
Many agriculturists have come up with local ways of fighting pests and diseases. However, at the end, much is not achieved.
In my latest study, a Lecturer in the Department of Forestry, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umuadike, Abia State, Dr. Levi Onyenweaku, once shared insight on how to prepare Bio-pesticide using Neem (Dogonyaro).
Yours sincerely later discovered that if embarked upon, natural insecticide production saves money for farmers. Since most farmers buy insecticide for use in their farms, it is however, important to apply natural insect management.
Truth remains that if farmers do not use insecticides, there is the likelihood that insects will damage most of the crops, but when natural insecticides are produced, it saves cost.
Apart from that, natural insecticides are bio-degradable just as it does not cause any pollution because chemical pesticides usually create serious pollution in the environment.
Additionally, it does not cause environmental degradation unlike chemical pesticides.
Another school of thought also postulated that using natural solution for insect management and control in agriculture is essential. Hence the need for this exposee.
How To Produce Bio-Pesticide Using Neem (Dogonyaro)
First of all, what is Neem plant. Neem plant (Azadiracta indica) locally known as Dogonyaro, is a plant known for its medicinal properties.
It is grown in many places as a shade and an avenue plant. Virtually, all parts of the plant is useful. The leaves and seeds are often used in producing substances that are effective in the control of insect pests.
How to prepare bio-pesticide using neem leaves
- Obtain fresh neem leaves from the plant and wash thoroughly to remove dirt from the leaves.
- Squeeze or roughly crush the leaves in a good quantity of water.
- Boil the crushed leaves and water for up to 10 minutes.
- Allow the mixture to cool and then sieve to remove all the leaves and particles.
- Add a small quantity of liquid soap to make the solution stick to the plant surface.
- Pour the solution into a sprayer and spray to infested plants, targeting the insect pests and all areas of infestation.
A farmer can save money by embarking on the production of bio-degradable pesticides and save the stress of spending humongous amount of money on chemical pesticides.
How To Prepare Bio-pesticide Using Neem Leaves (Dogonyaro)
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