Food Extremity: Miillion's Of Nigerians May Go On Food Hardship, UN Warns. 82 million Nigerians, or around 64% of the country's pop...
Food Extremity: Miillion's Of Nigerians May Go On Food Hardship, UN Warns.
82 million Nigerians, or around 64% of the country's population, may be hungry by 2030, according to a UN prediction. The organisation is pleading with the government to address climate change, pest infestations, and other issues that threaten agricultural productivity. The forecast is made in response to the nation's ongoing increase in food costs.
The National Bureau of Statistics reports that in May 2024, Nigeria's food inflation rate increased by 40.66 percent, breaking the previous month's record of 40.53 percent.
Since records have been kept in 1996, this spike in food costs constitutes the biggest annual increase. Nigerian food inflation has historically ranged from -17.50 percent in January 2000 to an average of 13.42 percent.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation estimated in 2023 that between June and August of 2024, at least 2.6 million Nigerians in the states of Borno, Sokoto, and Zamfara, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, may experience a food crisis.
A government-led Cadre Harmonisé research published in March 2024 estimates that the number of people suffering from extreme food insecurity in the states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe is close to 4.8 million, the largest number in seven years.
Additionally, Organised Labour expressed alarm about the nation's escalating food costs and fuel scarcity as Nigerian workers celebrated May Day in 2024, claiming that the existing state of affairs threatened workers' survival. Olisa Agbakoba, a senior advocate for Nigeria, recently issued a warning that the country may soon see a hunger riot and urged the federal government to take immediate action.
The Food and Agriculture Organization's resident humanitarian coordinator, Taofiq Braimoh, a UN representative, stated recently at the CropWatch Abuja launch: "The government of Nigeria, in collaboration with others, conducts an annual food security survey." The results this year are concerning: about 80–82 million Nigerians are at risk of severe food crisis by 2030, and about 22 million may experience food insecurity in 2024.
Like many other nations, Nigeria has challenges related to pest infestations, climate change, unpredictable water patterns, and food shortages that limit agricultural productivity.
We are an agrarian civilization, thus the productivity of our farms directly affects the amount of food available to our people. Making the most of technology is essential to bolstering the agricultural industry and guaranteeing food security.
He emphasised that real-time data on crop conditions was made available via satellite-based crop monitoring, which let farmers and policymakers make educated decisions and maximise agricultural practices.
He pointed out that the technology could hasten the achievement of food and agriculture-related sustainable development goals.
"High rate of hunger fuelled by climate change" Tobi Awolope, an agricultural economist at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta's Centre for Agricultural Development and Sustainable Environment, blamed climate change for Nigeria's high hunger rate. Smallholder farmers, who produce the majority of the country's food, have been particularly hard hit by the phenomenon.
In her Friday interview with our correspondent, Awolope pointed out that such farmers lacked the adaptive capacity to deal with the repercussions of climate change, like erratic rainfall patterns and inadequate irrigation. "The efforts to end hunger and poverty through Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2 have been halted by climate change. Because smallholder farmers are finding it difficult to adjust to the changing climate, food availability is decreasing and costs are rising, the speaker stated.
She underlined the necessity of government aid for farmers, which should include technological and irrigation support in addition to production input subsidies. Farmers by themselves are unable to lessen the effects of climate change. To guarantee food security, the government must intervene and assist them, the speaker said.
"This is not the time to leave research output on the shelf," Awolope added, emphasising the value of using research recommendations to guide policy decisions. Those suggestions must be applied in order for us to make wise choices that will uphold our farmers and guarantee the availability of food.
Dr. Adepoju Mathew, the director general of the National Space Research and Development Agency, emphasised the value of innovation, science, and technology in promoting food security and agricultural development. By 2050, it is expected that there will be 9.5 billion people on the planet, and to fulfil this need, food production will need to rise by 70%.
"Technology, innovation, and space science are critical to agriculture's transformation and to increasing food security," he continued.
Dr. Yinusu Alidu, National Secretary of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, stated in an interview with Saturday PUNCH that the UN report should be regarded seriously since it accurately depicts the state of affairs in the nation.
He declared, "The UN's statement is currently popular because it accurately depicts the actual state of affairs in the nation. It's not magic; the UN is only collecting information and discussing the state of affairs.
The report is being created with the use of several elements such as insecurity, climate change, and global warming. Individuals on the ground, similar to us, are already aware that the UN report is coming to pass.
There hasn't been enough rain in July. Experts in weather forecasting have stated that a drought is expected. They said there would be a brief spell of rain and that it might not rain again beyond August.
Farmers were instructed to grow crops that will mature quickly and give a high harvest. If not, the crops will not produce well and will be stunted. Drought will harm crops if conventional planting methods are used by people. In order to avert a food crisis, Alidu pleaded with the government to act on the findings.
In order to avert a food crisis, Alidu pleaded with the government to act on the findings. "The government has an obligation to avert a food crisis," he declared. The government ought to support farming practices that use irrigation. The government must build dams and direct wastewater for agricultural use. There is a lot of water waste. The moment has come for the government to take off-season farming seriously. In Nigeria, 70% of crops are planted for direct rainfall; irrigation systems are used by a small percentage of the population. It is the duty of the government to facilitate farming for farmers. It is their duty to assist the irrigation system.
In an interview with our correspondent, Mr. Adeyemi Adejare, the President of Integrated Agricultural Services, South-West, pointed out that the UN study highlights the government's shortcomings in providing support for farmers and agriculture. Adejare claimed that there was already a food scarcity in Nigeria and that the only way to get out of the situation was by aggressive farming. According to him, the only way to stop the UN's forecast is to start farming aggressively and receive sincere assistance from the government.
Given that food insecurity is already a problem in Nigeria, we cannot ignore what the UN stated. It serves as a reminder of how little the government adding that the nation must take proactive actions to end food insecurity.
"The UN report is accurate," he declared. Due to the current scarcity, Nigeria will require thirty consecutive years of cultivating and harvesting before achieving food security. Farmer justice has not been served by the government. The government provides little assistance to farmers in the north, but the governors of the South West do not offer any support to farmers in the region. The governors have not been supportive; instead, they have only made token gestures towards the advancement of agriculture.
Further information: Mohammed Lawal and Ismaeel Uthman.
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