Demand 01
Agriculture & Food Security
The food and agriculture sector has been declining in the past years and between 2020 to 2022 crop production was reported to have declined by 47.2%⁵ Some key reasons for this decline are socioeconomic factors like insecurity, lack of adequate extension services, inflation, and the low adaptive capacity of farmers to respond to environmental changes, among others.
Impacts of droughts, flooding and post-harvest losses have led to large deficits between supply and demand for major food items⁶ in the country. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), about 14.4 million Nigerians are facing a food crisis⁷. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the food inflation rate in March 2023 was 24.45 per cent on a year-on-year basis; which was 7.25% points higher compared to the rate recorded in March 2022 (17.20%).⁸ Therefore, Nigeria must re-evaluate its food systems and value chains to attain food security in a fragile ecosystem that is threatened by climate change.
Call To Action
Key institutions such as the Federal Ministry of Agriculture must work with intersecting agencies like Finance and Environment Ministries to fund and support more vulnerable small-scale farmers to adapt their farming practices and increase food distribution across the country.
Governments at all levels must put agriculture and food security at the heart of their agenda to secure a safe food system that provides healthy, nutritious food and increase investment in agriculture in line with the international benchmark (Maputo/Malabo Declaration) for budgetary allocation to the agriculture sector to 10% of total annual budget.
Must address the linkages of insecurity to agriculture and implement effective measures to reduce the farmers- herders clashes that have impeded food security in Nigeria.
Work with youth-led organisations to localise climate change education and potential impacts for farmers, specifically for the Nigerian Meteorological Agency to send early, timely and localized weather forecasts and reports to aid farmers in decision-making and managing the risks.
Promote sustainable farm systems and practices that sustain food production and biodiversity restoration like agroecology, organic farm systems, multiple cropping, integrated farming, etc.
Create systems and infrastructure that caters for the reduction of postharvest loss and enhances food exportation through investments in efficient and effective storage and processing facilities, and transportation and distribution systems of agricultural produce.
Government must involve young people in policy dialogues and discussions at the local and national levels either as part of local development meetings, advisory groups, or on the board of committees as young people are known for their innovation and constitute the larger population and should be involved in decisions that impact their lives and wellbeing.
Relevant authorities and key stakeholders must deliberately upscale and integrate climate adaptation and mitigation systems into existing traditional agriculture practices across the value chains
Subsidise farm inputs and other farming-related items to improve resilience in this space by ensuring that farmers can get their inputs at affordable prices.
References
[6] https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/08/food-storage-as-business-opportunity/
[7] https://www.thecable.ng/fao-14-4m-nigerians-facing-food-crisis-amid-insecurity-rising-inflation