Sr. Maire McGann
Mercy Sisters
Nigeria
Despite its vast oil wealth, problems of
corruption and mismanagement have left Nigeria
one of the poorest countries in the world. Over
66% of its population now lives below the
poverty line. Sr. Maire McGann, a Mercy Sister
from Monivea, Co Galway, has been involved in
the development of an Ecological Learning Centre
in Yola, which is the capital of the Adamawa
State of Nigeria in the Eastern part of Nigeria.
The population of the area is approximately 3.5
million people.
The Sisters have been working in the Yola region
since 1969 in a range of areas including:
education, justice and peace initiatives, health
and community building. In order to address the
poverty of the country the Government, through
the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural
Resources has embarked on a number of programmes
aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture and
rural development. However most of these
programmes have been largely ineffective in
reaching poor farmers.
According to Sr. Maire: 'The main problem to be
addressed is the poverty of the local people and
their inability to meet basic needs of food,
medicine, shelter etc. This poverty leads people
to use whatever methods they can to survive
often damaging the environment in the process.
Some of the practices which lead to
environmental degradation include tree cutting,
bush burning, no proper waste management, use of
artificial fertilisers, pesticides and
genetically modified farming'. For Sr. Maire the
only way to fight poverty is 'to transform the
poor person into an active producer. Agriculture
redesigned can become a weapon of mass
construction'.
In
2002 a model eco farm was developed. 2.2 hectares was provided by
the Diocese to establish the farm which was to be a model for
farmers wishing to engage in eco-farming in the area. In 2004
funding was provided to build a fence around the farm and also to
dig a well and a borehole.
As a result of this funding healthy organic local vegetables are
available in the community. The provision of the well has meant that
vegetable production can now continue into the dry season in a small
way in 2006.
In 2005 the IMRS provided much needed funding to construct the
ecological training centre. According to Sr. Maire 'The training
centre will ensure that 10 farmers from the Mapeo area will learn
skills in farming methods that are environmentally friendly and will
bring these techniques back to their local area'. With the support
of the Diocesan Agricultural Committee they will model this type of
agricultural production for other farmers in their area. The farmers
will learn and understand the organic agricultural techniques in the
production of tropical food crops, fruits and vegetables. This will
enable them to grow local crops such as soya beans, maize, rice,
groundnuts, guinea corn and local vegetables in their own farms
promoting food security.
'In time I believe all of this effort will lead to real and clear
changes in the quality of the life of people here', Sr. Maire
concludes.