The journey to longevity and good health begins by been mindful of what one takes in as food and water. One of the major birthday wish is always "long life and prosperity" which is achievable through a concious effort and decision about what one eat. Food sustains the body and supplies the body with all it needs to function well. The debate about why people live long in the olden days and why it isn't so again now has a direct link about the quality and quantity of food source, preparation and consumption.
Back then, there was abundance of food (quantity) as every family has a land expanse for farming in which everyone is involved including the "educated" and hence, faming/hunger wasn't as much as of now. In addition, the quality of food eaten then can't be compared as that of now as they eat food from fresh sources with the quality still intact as compared to that of now with more processed foods with less quality and its potential dangers.
Food is one of the basic need of man with the two other things been clothing and housing. Food is divided into six (6) classes which are carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, fats & oils, vitamins and water which all makes for a balanced diet. However, this can only be guaranteed if the food source is uncompromised with the quality been intact and the quantity been adequate. It takes the balance of this two factors to live healthily and to remain productive.
In Nigeria, farming (whether plant or animal farming) has been our mainstay of livelihood and revenue back then before the advent of crude oil which changed the trajectory. Agriculture was abandoned coupled with urbanisation that sets in and hence, our quality and quantity of food sources/supplies decreases which led us till where we are now depending on importation. Agricultural produce are the needed raw materials for industries to function and the reason why most industries folded up.
Gardening was a common practice in Nigeria as each family has a small garden in their house where small cultivation and rearing are done for immediate family consumption but now, it is not again especially the urban areas all in the name of "civilization". By our dependence on food importation as the local produce isn't enough or even neglected for the foreign ones, all sorts are imported even from dubious souces which is having negative toil on citizens health even at high prices.
I believe it's high time we go back to farming and gardening which we are known for and which gave this country its best history of development. By this, our quality and quantity of food will be greatly improved on, our industries will bounce back as raw materials will be available from agricultural produce, our natural food source/intake will be improved on through accessibility, our economy will be bouyant again and most importantly, the quality of life and health will be greatly improved as our dependence on foreign importation of all sorts will be reduced.
I believe that once we have enough produced in Nigeria, our quantity of food source will be increased hereby preventing malnutrition and hunger will leads to unhealthy living. Also, the quality of food will be increased as we will do more of natural foods than processed ones hereby maintaining its integrity as the processing procedures might have affected the quality of the food e.g. denaturation by heat, preservative issues aswell etc.
On a final note, farming/gardening are two important avenues for us to enjoy natural food source rich in quality and of good quantity and this must be done by individuals, family and countries at large. This is needed urgently especially in Nigeria, Africa and most developing countries. We need to leverage on our good climate and favourable weather condition which are agriculturally friendly so as to boost our local production which we should patronize more even as the government provides necessary support needed from them. We need to do more natural foods than processed ones. Thank you for reading as contributions and comments are welcomed.
This is my participation post in #Mayinleo monthly prompt for day 02 by the #inleo. Check out this announcement post to get involved. @adedoyin-g and @mummygo, you are invited to join this initiative 
THUMBNAIL DESIGNED USING CANVA