Mon, 25 Sep 2017 12:56:51 +0000
By Makeli Phiri
EVERY person especially those of us who just eat and never think of the person producing this food on our table. During the time of creation, the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there He put the man whom He had formed (Genesis 2:8). This shows that man had a source of food to keep him going that is to live and sustain the body.
Human beings can eat just about anything as food, starting from milk which is secreted by the female (mother) to mineral crystals (common salt), edible fruits, flowers, seeds, stalks, leaves, roots, fish, birds etc. all these and others not mentioned are eaten by man.
Who produces these for our table? Yes, it is the farmer.
Therefore, no matter where one lives he is in need of food produced by the farmer somewhere.
The farmer must continue growing the food to feed the many million people all over the world. He should not only think of growing this food to make money for himself, he must contribute to good nutrition for the people to look healthy all the time so that diseases can be put at bay.
Malnutrition in a nation can cover a broad spectrum of ills, including under-nutrition, specific nutrition, and over-nutrition, and it kills, mains, retards, cripples, blinds and impairs human development on a massive scale. A balanced diet in every home is very important. In a home there can be both malnutrition and obesity.
Within the same home there can be infant malnutrition as well as chronic problems with obesity in adults. There can even be cases of the same person who was undernourished as a child is obese as an adult.
Many people may not understand the relationship between their state of health and their eating habits. This is because the effect of a poor diet on one’s health is not manifest immediately. But a healthy diet can prevent many illnesses.
The farmer to contribute positively to good health of the people in this nation should endeavour to grow a variety of crops so that the nation can have balanced eating.
Maize is not the only food that can be grown but if the product is mixed with other foods then some balance of good food would be achieved. A balanced diet would need to have carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins in addition to some essential minerals. Therefore, food can be divided into three main groups.
The first group under our Zambian situation would include maize, wheat, rice millet and sorghum as well as tubers such as potatoes both sweet and Irish potatoes and some yams found in most rural areas of this country. These can be considered as carbohydrate which supply energy.
The second group includes beans grown all over this country, soya beans, peas and some foods of animal origins such as meat, fish, eggs, and milk and of course their by-products or derivatives. These are the sources of protein, iron, zinc, and several vitamins.
The third group includes fruits, and vegetables. These provide essential vitamins and minerals. They also supply fibre and provide energy, and they represent the only natural source of vitamin C. Fruits always come in their season and as such should be eaten as they are available fresh in their season.
Preservation sometimes may not be close to the natural form meaning that the natural chemicals or substances would be altered and hence not so perfect to the body needs.
The onus is on the farmer to take advantage of every season to grow what would be the best for the market as well as to provide the necessary nutrients the body requires.
This soil God has given us is to be used to the betterment of human living and whatever He has put in it is to our use. Psalm 104:14 – Our Creator causes “food to go forth from the earth” for mankind’s enjoyment.
So if God has allowed us to enjoy the best of our labour from the soil. Why not as farmers take advantage of every season to get the best of the food product from the soil?
Therefore, various foods or crops must be grown or produced for the sake of mankind. Zambia has some of the best soils in the region for food production and plenty of water for any agricultural project to thrive.
Ecclesiastes 9:7 says; “Go eat your food with rejoicing” without doubt by using balance and moderation, the people of Zambia can enjoy the benefits of the delicious and nutritious foods that the Creator has indeed provided.
To everything there is time and now is the time for the nation to enjoy the very best of what is produced from the land.
Emphasis is now on agriculture hence, the farmers’ effort should double to feed the nation and for export that is the surplus. Indeed, it is the plants that bear seeds or grains, and in a broader sense legume, fruit from trees and vegetables constitute the ideal diet for the humans.
Food of animal origin is secondary equally they also depend on food of plant origin. It is only the plant that is able to extract the required substances from the soil change or manufacture materials that build the animals body all because of plants. Crops or plants put in the soil by a farmer is direct or indirect food for wild and domesticated animals.
God made everything so that man can be comfortable in his living, this means God taught man to farm and was given the responsibility to after it. The farmer therefore, should look after every plant or crop that is meant as food for man. Genesis 1:29 God said “see I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. This is a noble task that we cannot run away from otherwise the nation shall starve.
The farmer at every level of crop production should be assertive to the needs of mankind where food production is concerned. This is why the government has looked at this agriculture as a sure way of feeding the people.
The food that the farmer produces should make every person to thank God for His kindness that we are able to have a meal each and every day of our lives.
Our farmers must again look after the soil that gives him an income. Once the soil is mismanaged then the crop or any plant would have nowhere to anchor and sustain their growth.
The soil must be looked after so that it does not lose its properties to support all other living organism which are part of this important matter.
To the farmer, indeed the food that you produce must support the good health that the nation is looking to. We should have the citizens who are healthy looking and not obese. The citizens must have the food that is coming from the three groups mentioned elsewhere in this article.
