NEXT STEPS IN MY AGRO-BASED RESEARCH PROCESSES – Oluyinka Alawode, Founder, Farm Cafe

After completing the three month-course at iCRA, I am now set to take steps to upscale my researches My researches include using organic edible items such as eggshells, spices, herbs like neem leaves, natural oils, seeds of fruits, coconut shells etc (many of these items are usually discarded) to provide agro-based health and beauty solutions Current Research The main purpose of my current research is To bring about change in a participatory way – that is involving people such as users, beauticians, skin care experts, other health practitioners including surgeons if possible in the decision-making that will solve major skin health and beauty problems Who am I trying to change? People generally who use body lotions, creams or pomade made with the inclusion of some chemical elements which often (though many don’t realise it) cause allergies such as itchiness which may also result in rashes and other breakouts like acnes or pimples on the face and some other parts of the body. In the long-term such chemical-based creams or lotions especially if used very regularly can cause skin cancer. Averting health risks The traces of the chemical elements can also seep into the internal body organ and thereby the bloodstream - weakening the internal natural body immunity and with long-term possibility of causing some ailments (like kidney problems, appendicitis). Also, when such people have wounds or need to undergo surgical operations, due to the chemical-based creams and lotions they have been using, the skin cuts usually take too long to heal, if at all, resulting in complications that could have been prevented. So, my research - Organic Body Lotion made from edible items will help in preventing these skin problems in addition to beautifying the skin – keeping each person’s skin in the natural state for good health/well-being. What inspired me? I have experienced and also know people who have itchiness due to eczema. Some use antibiotics in treating it. But I suppose due to my background in agriculture and subsequently agricultural journalism and then agricultural information services through Farm Cafe, I knew there had to be a natural solution to the problem. Though the eczema is believed to be hereditary - I realised the itchiness can be reduced, even eliminated by taking some actions. I have also had very serious breakouts of pimples on my face at a time due to chemical-based creams. So I decided not to use any chemical-based creams or lotions or balms. I started researching – acquiring knowledge initially on the kind of food and drinks to take to minimise the itchiness and remove the rashes on my skin. The light-bulb switching on moment came when I realised that I could directly apply those things I am supposed to eat to reduce the allergy directly on my skin outwardly. I did and saw the positive effects. Subsequently my practical researches revealed that it would be better to produce those items into a skin balm. Why beautify? Then I realised that many people often forget to continue applying the skin balm once the rashes and itchiness are gone and they may recur later. Subsequent researches also revealed the effects of chemical-based lotions and creams on many people’s skins which heighten the problems of eczema and other skin ailments. So I decided that an organic body lotion that can be applied regularly to the skin would be more ideal. I shared this with family members, some asked me to make the lotion for them, they applied and saw some positive results. When I discover something new, I usually share the knowledge with my family members and they have been very supportive of my initiatives. So I continued working at improving and coming up with better mixture and processes. I also discovered the lotion would not only keep the skin healthy, but beautiful looking eventually. But I still needed more knowledge Course at iCRA So I applied for the course at International Centre for Research-Oriented Development in Agriculture (iCRA) making Research Work. I got sponsorship to attend the online course. I was not so sure initially if an online course would give men the much needed knowledge to upscale my current and other researches. But my expectations were surpassed. I learnt so very much from the highly-skilled trainers. Upscaling my researches The next steps would be applying the knowledge I gained from the course into scaling up this research on widespread use of Organic Body Lotion. Meanwhile I am into other researches such as using eggshell powder mixed with some other edible items for oral health – fresh breath, white teeth, strong teeth and gums. #agrobasedresearch #agroresearches #agrobasedheath #agrobasedbeauty #agrobasedhealthandbeauty #agrobasedhealthandbeautysolutions #FarmCafe #naturalhealth #naturalbeauty #agricforbeauty #agricforhealth #edibleitemsforbeauty