A five-year programme aimed at enhancing productivity and promoting sustainability and resilience of Nigeria’s agricultural production systems for better national food security, starting January 2018, will reach seven northern Nigerian states.
The states are Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Gombe, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Benue. These states were selected to support the drive of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) and the Federal Ministry of Environment Integrated Landscape Management to Enhance Food Security and Ecosystem Resilience in Nigeria Project to ensure that food security in Nigeria is taken very seriously nationwide.
Representatives from the seven Nigerian states agree that that the project will boost food production and nutrition, address youth unemployment and empower women towards food sustainability.
Speaking about the importance of this project, the representative of UNDP Resident Coordinator and Team Leader, Environment, Mr Muyiwa Odele clearly stated that the importance of the project cannot be over-emphasised as it is rooted in the national priority of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
He continues to explain that there is no better time to start talking of food security than now considering the decline in oil prices worldwide and many countries are now phasing out dependence on oil.”
According to Odele, the population of the country is increasing, therefore, there has to be a strengthening of the food chain system in the country against climate change as well as work with both the state and federal levels in eventually feeding the country and beyond conveniently.
He also analyzed how the project will look at how to develop food security in view of the climatic change being experienced in the country.
In the same vein, the Deputy Director, Agriculture Mechanisation, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Abdullahi Abubakar, an engineer, gave strong assurance on the durability and success of the project, while also emphasizing that all he aforementioned states will do everything possible to sustain it.
Added to that, he mentioned that women will greatly benefit in the project as they are deeply involved in agricultural processing which is a target. The onus right now, according to him, is how to ensure the focal persons involved in this project are able to take the project to the next level.
Project Consultant and lecturer in University of Lagos, Prof. Emmauel Oladipo, also added his voice to the positive impact that the project can have for the populace, explaining that the project is consistent with what the Federal Government is already working on in developing agriculture as the call for SDGs and made-in-Nigeria products have recently been emphasized.
He maintained that there is really no need to import food for the country once agricultural potentials are tapped, and that is the goal on which the food security and ecosystem resilience project are targetted.
Prof. Oladipo added that project will help Nigeria pull through in the face of dwindling revenues from crude oil.
He also believes that some of the barriers to food security in the country include poor agricultural and land management, poor participation of youth and week integration of the role of women among others, all of which will be solved once the project takes root.
Also, Founder and Executive Director, Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN), Hajia Salamatu Garuba praise the project for being gender sensitive, stating that it will make it a reality for women to come together and use agriculture as a livelihood.
She expressed optimism that it will groom a lot of youth and women by attracting them to agriculture as a source of livelihood and discourage rural to city influx.
It is expected that seventy communities of 13 LGAs of Dutsima, Musawa, Kabo, Gwarzo, Jahun, Katungo, Balanga, Yola South, Fufore, Akwanga, Kokona, Otukpo and Ukum respectively, would benefit from the project.
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