This Week on Food Matters.

This week’s subject of discussion generated opinions on identifying factors affecting food production and security.

Highlighted points are as follows:

Government Roles Identified:

• Addressing insecurity issues like clashes between farmers and herders, kidnappings, and cross-border insecurity.
• Introducing advanced agricultural technology such as farm mechanization and establishing agrochemical industries.
• Creating government-owned farms at national, state, and local levels, along with implementing a strong accountability framework.

Need for Social Amenities:

• Providing uninterrupted power supply, improving road networks, and promoting agricultural extension works.

Support Programs for Farmers:

• Offering interest-free agriculture loans, subsidizing agrochemicals and equipment, providing pest control services, organizing workshops to update farming practices, and establishing modern storage facilities.

Immediate Measures Proposed:

• Declaring a state of emergency on agriculture and food scarcity, engaging all local governments in establishing farms, creating job opportunities, and reducing youth involvement in crime.

Current Challenges Identified:

• Northerners bought and transported grains due to insecurity, leading to scarcity in the West.
• Prediction of a 35% increase in global food and water demand in the next 10 years.
• Lack of mechanization, irrigation facilities, and post-harvest technologies contribute to food insecurity and inflation in Nigeria.

Suggestions for Improvement:

• Making farming more attractive and profitable for the youth, addressing insecurity challenges, enhancing mechanization, providing irrigation facilities, and reducing post-harvest losses.

Overall, the discussions emphasized the urgent need for coordinated efforts by the government, adoption of advanced technology, improvement of infrastructure, and support for farmers to address the looming hunger crisis and ensure food security in Nigeria.