By Moses Nosike

Agriculture in Nigeria has always been expected to play a critical role in nation building and ensuring that the ever-increasing population accesses food at all costs. This can also be termed as ensuring food security form the government’s perspective. 

Food security means ensuring that all people, at all times, have access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food that meets their dietary needs and preferences for an active and healthy life. 

Unfortunately, the emergence of some herdsmen destroying farmlands, terrorist groups in the north east invading communities and killing people, inflation, devaluation of the Naira etc. are few of the reasons to mention which have contributed towards giving rise to Food insecurity in Nigeria. In addition, two broader trends challenging agriculture and food security include population dynamics and climate change. 

According to a Popular social magnet in Lagos, Chief Sanjay Jain, present and projected population dynamics carry major implications for agriculture and food security. “Nigeria currently falls short to feed its population of over two hundred million citizens for several reasons that food security requires a combination of factors, including food production, distribution, accessibility and utilization, while considering the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of the entire food dynamics/ systems”.

Jain said that practically, the issue of food security is very important. “The food and agriculture organization defines food security as when people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and preferences for an active and healthy life. This definition emphasizes four key dimensions of food security; availability, accessibility, utilization and stability.

Jain said, “by food availability, this refers to the physical presence of sufficient food supplies, including the quantity of food produced, stored, and traded. As there is no sense of producing food that is not readily available to the consumers. So, in this process the concept of food production, food Supply including imports of food stuff where required, ensuring proper control on the losses during transportation, processing & storage are few of the points which needs to be planned well by the food and agriculture organizations and policy makers”. 

Again, Jain said, “Food accessibility is very important as this ensures that people have the resources, whether financial or physical, to obtain/procure adequate food. Access to food is very fundamental even to human existence. This dimension focuses on the ability of individuals and households to obtain food, both physically and economically. It also considers factors like income, expenditure, market access and prices”. 

He further said at this juncture, there is the need for keeping prices affordable for the public at their income level, getting the surveys done on the consumption patterns of the populace, their minimum requirements for their food and other basic needs are important aspects for the policy makers to ponder”. 

Continuing, Jain said that there is need for food utilization in Nigeria. “This involves ensuring that food is properly prepared, consumed, and that the nutrients are effectively absorbed by the body. The policy makers, in the long run are required to educate people on the nutrient requirements, how much to consume, what to consume in different seasons. Several researches have undergone on these matters which needs to be made basis to formulate these guidelines”. 

Food Stability: This emphasizes the need for consistent access to food over time, including the times of crisis or economic downturn. This considers the consistency and reliability of the entire chain. To ensure it, the regulators and policy makers must keep the watch on the data on the local production and continuously compare with the local demand. To bridge the gap, decision to import can be taken. Real time data collection is of high importance to regulate and strategize this. 

Continuing, Jain, said that for above mentioned to work properly, increased food production is important. Agricultural practices and innovations, such as improved crop varieties, irrigation techniques, and fertilizer management can significantly increase the amount of food produced. “Nigeria as well needs sustainability practice, thereby adopting sustainable agricultural practices, like crop rotation, soil conservation, and integrated pest management, can ensure the long-term productivity of agricultural land and reduce reliance on harmful inputs”. 

Food Storage and Distribution: Investing in storage facilities, transportation networks, and post-harvest handling can help reduce food losses and ensure that food reaches those who need it. 

Back To School Nutrition Education: Promoting nutrition education and awareness can help people make informed choices about food and improve their dietary intake. 

Policy and Regulation: Implementing supportive policies, such as subsidies for farmers, agricultural research funding, and fair-trade practices, can help create a stable and productive agricultural sector. By addressing these key dimensions and leveraging the potential of agriculture, it is possible to improve food security and ensure that all people have access to the food they need to live healthy and productive lives.

Agricultural financing can greatly enhance food security in Nigeria: The government should invest more in Agriculture by giving farmers loans, grants, subsidies, Modern farms implement, ensuing their safety during farming etc. 

It is also a fact that Commercial bank loans and advances to the agricultural sector will definitely result in significant positive impact on food production in the long run. Inviting private sector investment in this sector must also be encouraged. 

By prioritizing sustainable agriculture, empowering the farmers, investing in infrastructure, and promoting innovative solutions, Nigeria can make significant progress towards ensuring food security and improving the well-being of its population. Yes, it is achievable!