The influence of organic waste on vegetable nutritional components and healthy livelihood, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Household waste form a larger proportion of waste generated across the state, accumulation of organic waste is apparent problem and the existing dump sites could be over stress. Niger State has abundant arable land and water resources thus should be one of the highest producers of agricultural crops in the Country. However, the major challenge to agricultural sector today is loss of soil nutrient coupled with higher cost of fertilizer. This have continue to increase the use of fertilizer and decomposed solid waste for enhance agricultural yield, which have varying effect on the soil as well a treat to human livelihood. Consequently, vegetable yield samples from poultry droppings, decomposed household waste manure, NPK treatments and control from each replication were subjected to proximate analysis to determine the nutritional and anti-nutritional components as well as heavy metals concentration. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS software and Randomized Complete Block Design. Means were compared. The result shows that the treatment do not devoid the concentrations of any nutritional components while the anti-nutritional analysis proved that NPK had higher oxalate content tan control and organic treats. The concentration of lead and cadmium are within safe permissible level while the mercury level exceeded the FAO/WHO maximum permissible limit for the entire treatments depicts the need for urgent intervention to minimize mercury levels in soil and manure in order to mitigate the toxic effect. Thus, Eco-Agriculture should be widely accepted and promoted by the stakeholders for soil amendments, higher yield, strategies for sustainable environmental protection, food security, poverty eradication, attainment of sustainable development and healthy livelihood