Food Processing, Preservation As Panacea For Food Shortages in Ekiti State – By Oladiran Fadipe

Introduction
One could be wondering about the concern or interest of Geographers in food preservation due to the frequent questions of why, what and where,  usually asked in the literature on geography.

First of all, why are Geographers concerned with the subject of food preservation? The answer is contained In a Study carried out in 2001 by Fadipe in Ekiti South West Local Government Area. In that Study, Fadipe established that the climate of most areas in Ekiti is hot and humid for the greater part of the year, and that this encourages a rapid growth, development and spread of virus and other bacterial diseases that lead to rapid deterioration of food crops, both on the field and in storage. Also in the same Study, Fadipe established the fact that rainfall is the most single important element of climate in Ekiti State and that this rainfall is brought by the South Westerly Winds. The dry season is short and lasts from November to February while the proper rainfall season does not begin until the last week of March or early April, and ends in October.

Secondly,  another question that has drawn attention is the importance of food? It is well known that among the three necessities of man in life are food, clothing and shelter. It is generally agreed that food is a sine-qua-non of human existence because it is possible for man to sleep in the open air or go about with the barest form of clothing but it will be completely impossible for man to go out without food.

Paul (1980) confirmed this essentiality of food when he argued that a man who goes without for 24 hours will quarrel while the one who goes without food for 48 hours will steal and the one without food for 72 hours will most likely fight to get food to eat.
Thus, the difference between peace and anarchy, in most of the countries in the world, is just a matter of only a few days going without food

Food Spoilage and Shortages in Ekiti State
Basically, food is derived from crop plants, animals and the sea. At one time or another, these foodstuffs get spoiled, and this leads to food shortages. It is important to note that food spoilage is a nationwide problem in Nigeria and many other countries within the tropical region of the world. Ekiti State, being one of the most important agricultural states in Southern Nigeria, is not left out.

Food Processing and Preservation
The origin of food spoilage started from the creation of mankind but unfortunately, all historical descriptions of the problem were based on the belief that the symptoms of food spoilage were caused by poison. This problem continued into the Nineteenth Century when people became familiar with the existence of germs (Kilgoour, 1980).

 Thereafter, it became clear that many cases of food spoilage are traceable to certain microorganisms. These microorganisms include bacteria, mould and yeast, amongst others.
Traditionally, Ekiti State is an agricultural area blessed with abundant rainfall to sustain agriculture. The soil is also reputed to be one of the best in the country and there is an abundant availability of cheap labour suitable for agriculture. Above all, Ekiti State is blessed with virgin land and streams which easily encourage large-scale farming for the production and supply of abundant food. However, the State still experiences food shortages leading to food scarcities which are attributable to inefficient or inadequate preservation methods.

 Consequently, Ekiti people need an adequate method of modern food processing and preservation to prevent or minimize the incidence of food shortages, as it is done In the civilized and advanced countries of the world where the technology is also esily available.

 In advanced countries, various methods of processing and preserving food have been adopted to space out the supply of food and cash crops that yield good incomes. These include:
1. Smoking
2. Food drying
3. Freeze drying
4. Refrigeration
5. Vacuum packing
6. Pasteurization
7. Canning, and
8. Food radiation

Recommendations

The following recommendations, if implemented, can provide a solution to the problem of food spoilage and shortages in Ekiti State:

1. Government should create an enabling environment that is suitable for private participation in food processing, preservation and packaging.

2. In the period of glut, Government intervention is needed to buy most of the perishable farm produce in order to alleviate the problem of hunger in the period of food scarcity.

3. Soft agricultural loans should be made available to farmers and investors in the Sector at near zero interest rates.

4. Extension services should be made more effective in every Local Government Area of the State to train farmers in the various methods of food preservation.

5. Workshops to train farmers in preservation methods should be organized from time to time.

6. Food Preservation should be incorporated into the school curriculum from the primary to tertiary institutions of learning.

References.
1) Encyclopedia,  Food agriculture and nutrition. (M .C GRAW-HILL, pp.312-320)
2) Fracier WC (1961), The Value of Food (London: Oxford University Press)
3) Nigeria: Giant In the Tropics, Volume
4) Fadipe(2001), Problem of Food Preservation in
5) Paul (1980). The Music of chance                6)  Kilgour (1980) observation of wildlife