By: Mayowa Adeniran, @mayowalive
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Federal Ministry of Environment is collaborating to foster sustainability and Resilience for Food Security in the Savanna Zones of Northern Nigeria.
The overall goal of this project is to enhance long-term sustainability and resilience of food production systems in Nigeria, by building greater community resilience to climate risks and other shocks that drive food insecurity.
To this effect, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) which is hosting the Project Management Unit (PMU) is organizing an Inception Workshop to kick-start the implementation of the project.
Agriculture shapes Nigeria’s physical landscape and remains a significant contributor to its economic and social landscape, accounting for some 22 percent of national GDP and providing employment for about 70 percent of the labor force.
In past decades, slow growth in the agricultural sector and rapid increases in population shifted Nigeria from self-sufficiency in food production during the 1960s to heavy reliance on food imports from the 1980s onwards. Poor agricultural output and widespread poverty have resulted in extensive and persistent food insecurity.
In 2015 Nigeria was ranked 91st out of 116 in the Global Hunger Index and 91st out of 108 in the Global Food Security Index.
In recent years, with declining oil prices the potential economic significance of the agricultural sector has grown. Nevertheless, the sector faces significant challenges including global warming and increasing climate variability. The potential for external shocks to further compound food insecurity and affect sector development is high.
Therefore, future food security and wider economic development driven by a thriving agricultural sector require an integrated approach under which agricultural development and environmental sustainability develop in tandem, reducing risks to communities and enhancing the sustainable development of key value chains.
The workshop is billed to take place in Kano state, between 7th to 8th December, 2017.
