My Journey of Embracing Sustainable Food Sourcing

Food is one of the most important sustainables that keeps us alive and helps our body get the right nutrients needed to stay healthy and energetic in performing our duties on a daily basis, so its importance can never be downplayed, and with that, we've come to see different people undergo diverse mediums to get it; some get prepackaged food items, others are much closer to the source of its production, and today I'll love to tell you about where I stand between both and what it means to me.

I've been a big fan of food since I was a child and always tried to get as much as possible of it on my plate so I'd eat and be filled. At the time, I knew little or nothing about how such things come about; all I do is eat and look forward to the next meal. But as time goes on, I've had a lot of enlightenment due to my experiences and things I was introduced to, and since then, it's been woven into my person till the present.

If you're wondering what that is, it's just that I was raised by my grandparents, who are so into growing their own food and have acres of land for the purpose of planting different food items for our consumption in the house and also to be sold to the general public to get cash that can be used to purchase other food items we aren't growing and to meet our other needs.

Via their continuous visit to their farmland and mini garden at the back of our house, I was able to pick up valuable lessons and knowledge about plantations, including understanding times and seasons when each crop thrives, what it takes to make them yeild bountiful, and several other things, to mention but a few.

Fast forward to the present day, and I've just like my grandparents invested my time and energy into farming and food plantations that have made me an integral part of the food source. There's hardly a place I've stayed for as long as a year without planting a thing or two that helps me cut costs as well as position myself to not completely depend on buying prepackaged food items.

To me, farming goes beyond just a thing I do to get food, and it has transformed into my way of life and activities. I so much love indulging in the beauty of creation and the joy that comes from seeing something you plant germinate and transform into an important part of life longed for by many. This gives me some form of joy that can't be gotten from another aspect, as farming, cultivating, and harvesting give me a taste of what it means to be god, or better yet, what it means to be a creator.

And over the years, I've planted a variety of crops and food items that have gone on to come back in helping me have a sustainable life and eating the healthiest possible meals and fruit anyone can longed for, because I put in all my best to plant them in the most natural ways, using just organic manure if need be, and not using hazardous fertilizer that would have side effects on my health in the near future.

Looking back and trying to capture memories of food items I've planted, I've come to realize I've literally been involved in more food item plantations than I ever thought I've, and some of them in the aspect of fruit are guavas, mango, cashew, orange, banana, plantains, sugar cane, pawpaw, and several others, then vegetables like tomatoes, bell pepper, fluted pumpkin leaves, egunsi, okra, and several others, and then in the aspect of food, I've planted crops like cassava, maiza, yam, cocoa yam, and several others, to mention but a few.

All of these putting togethers through the years have limited how much I spend on purchasing prepackaged food items, helping me cut costs on what I spent in purchasing food items, and it's also a means of eating healthy and nutritious meals. Although it's worth noting that one can't totally depend on all our planted foods alone, one would need to purchase some prepackaged food once in awhile to complement the ones we grow.

So that's to say, although my garden is my main source of food to provide for my family, I still purchase other food items I don't grow on my farm, such as rice, beans, seasoning, and the like. But, like I said, I'm closer to the food source than a food shop or mall.

I believe farming is a noble profession, and each one of us should be involved in it, even if it's just as little as growing fruit in our house, helping us benefit from the nutrients that come with such fruits without having to break the bank for them.

---

This is my entry for the day 2 of the #mayinleo prompt of the INLeo initiative, if you'll love to participate, you can read days about it in the announcement post.

---

Thanks so much for your time, do have a wonderful day and stay bless.

---

NOTE: All photos are mine.

---