The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Food insecurity

  • Stakeholders seek innovative solutions to climate-driven food insecurity

    Stakeholders seek innovative solutions to climate-driven food insecurity

    Amid persistent weather fluctuations and a decline in food production that has driven up food prices, stakeholders in climate, agriculture and technology are advancing new ideas aimed at stabilising food systems and ensuring reliable food supply.

    This was the focus of a forum organised by the Digital and Technological Empowerment Innovation Initiative for Next Generation (Diniti8tive), which brought together experts and stakeholders to discuss policies, research, agricultural technology and development.

    Speaking at the forum, the moderator, Blessing Allen-Adebayo, said the discussions were central to Africa’s development, food systems and collective resilience to climate change.

    She noted that her work with communities across Nigeria and other parts of Africa had shown how the outcome of a single farming season could determine whether households thrive or struggle, underscoring the urgency of building resilient and sustainable food systems.

    “I’ve listened to extension workers describe how difficult it has become to keep pace of the weather patterns that keep changing and have stood where market prices swing so sharply immediately after a flood and it has been difficult for them to survive through this season.

    “Many of these stories used to sound like isolated shocks, but today they have become a part of our wider continental pattern because Africa is warming faster than the global average.”

    Mr Fidelis Ekom also narrated that Africa is standing at a critical intersection where climate disruption is no longer a distant risk, but a daily lived reality. He decried the fate of farmers across Africa

    “Farmers are losing their crops to our unpredictable rainfall. Communities are being displaced by flooding and climate shocks continue to undermine production systems, market stability, and household resilience in many regions.

    “Across the continent, We are witnessing the rise of a new generation of innovators, agri-tech developers, climate scientists, extension agents, data analysts, youth-led enterprises, and community champions, working tirelessly to transform African agriculture from risk-prone to resilient, from vulnerable to viable.”

    According to Ekom, “As climate changes or change the rules of agriculture, We, too, must rewrite the rules of how we design policies, deploy technology, and support farmers, especially the women and youth, who remain the backbone of our food systems.”

    On Climate risks management, Nkemjika Onuoha, warned that, “ if we fail to act, if we do nothing, climate induced disruptions could reduce crop yields by up to 20%. In Nigeria alone, flood, drought, extreme weather conditions is already costing us between $9 and $10 billion annually.

    Onuoha further stated that more than 26.5 million Nigerians are projected this year alone to face acute food insecurity. A trend that seems very worrisome.

    “The current systems that we have not enough to sustain basic food access. Without adaptation, we risk losing 6 to 30% of our GDP by 2025. And that’s something close to $400 billion.

    Onuoha pointed, “climate smart and adaptive seed varieties, improved water management and water harvesting systems, IoT enabled monitoring systems, artificial intelligence for early warning systems and disease detection, and precision farm management.”

    Other experts say what we need is not just about producing more food, but it’s about producing more food with smarter, more connected systems of storage, logistics and market access.

  • ‘Five million face food insecurity in Northeast’

    ‘Five million face food insecurity in Northeast’

    Action Aid Nigeria has said five million in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe face acute food insecurity.

    Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, spoke in Abuja at an event to mark World Food Day 2025: “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future.”

    He said the situation is a deep humanitarian crisis driven by insecurity, climate change, and widespread poverty.

    “Food insecurity is widespread in Nigeria, and insecurity keeps farmers from farmlandst,” Mamedu said.

    Citing FAO, he noted 30.6 million Nigerians in 26 states and FCT were at risk of acute food and nutrition insecurity in June–August 2025 lean season.

    Although this marks a slight improvement from 33.1 million in 2024, Mamedu warned Nigeria still has the most food-insecure people globally.

    He added hunger hotspots expands beyond Northeast to Benue, Kaduna, Kwara, Taraba, and Cross River, where economic shocks, conflict, and displacement worsens food crises.

    “In Benue, and Plateau, recurrent attacks and clashes have kept farmers out of farms, leading to poor production of yam, maize, rice, etc.” he said.

    Mamedu also blamed persistent food inflation, at 21.87 per cent in August, leaving many unable to eat good diets.

    “Rural households spend up to 70 per cent income on food, while urban dwellers no longer eat well,” he said.

    He noted that poverty is the biggest driver of food insecurity, adding Nigeria’s worsening hardship has raised hunger.

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    “World Bank warned that 139 million Nigerians live below the poverty line. This means that even when food is available, millions cannot afford it,” Mamedu said.

    ActionAid also highlighted alarming levels of malnutrition, pointing to reports that 652 children died from malnutrition in Katsina State in the first half of 2025. Nationwide, malnutrition accounts for 45 percent of all under-five deaths, with more than 2 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

    He also urged state governments to fully release agricultural capital funds, lamenting that many states have implemented only about 25 percent of their approved agricultural budgets despite widespread hunger and livelihood challenges.

    “As we mark World Food Day and prepare for the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, we must connect the dots between poverty and hunger. Hunger and poverty are not just statistics, they are lived realities for millions of Nigerians. If you are not affected, please speak up and stand in solidarity with those who are,” Mamedu said.

  • Averting future food insecurity

    Averting future food insecurity

    Sir: Nigeria stands on the brink of a potential food crisis that could have devastating consequences for its economy, security, and social stability. If urgent and well-coordinated strategic measures are not implemented, the nation may soon find itself battling widespread food shortages, soaring prices, and heightened dependency on imports.

    At the heart of the problem is the alarming trend of farmers abandoning the cultivation of essential cereal crops such as maize, rice, millet, and sorghum among others. The reasons are not far-fetched. The cost of critical agricultural inputs, including fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and improved seed varieties, has skyrocketed beyond the reach of the average smallholder farmer. These rising input prices, coupled with inflation and limited access to credit, are pushing many out of farming altogether.

    Worsening the situation is the declining market value of locally produced cereals. Many farmers now find that the cost of production outweighs the profits, largely due to unregulated importation of food items, which floods the market and undermines local efforts. This double blow, high production cost and falling prices, is suffocating the morale of Nigeria’s farmers and threatening the sustainability of domestic food production.

    We must admit that the Tinubu administration has made significant security gains, including the reopening of some major markets in the North that were previously shut down, and the restoration of access to farmlands that were once too dangerous.

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    However the administration must act swiftly and decisively to reverse this dangerous trajectory of farmers abandoning farming due to high prices of farm inputs. First and foremost, it must stabilize the agricultural sector through bold and innovative policy actions.

    One immediate step should be the subsidization of essential farm inputs to ease the burden on farmers and encourage continued cultivation. Beyond subsidies, the government must also initiate a national crop-buying program, particularly for cereal grains to mop up excess supply from farmers who still have stock from last year’s harvest but have been unable to sell due to poor prices. This intervention will not only stabilize market prices and inject liquidity into rural economies but also help rebuild farmers’ confidence in the system.

    Equally important is the revival and strengthening of agricultural extension services. Many rural farmers still lack access to modern farming techniques, climate-smart practices, and post-harvest handling skills. Empowering extension workers to bridge this gap will go a long way in boosting productivity and reducing post-harvest losses.

    Furthermore, flagship government initiatives such as the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative and the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme should not only be reactivated but also reformed. These programs must be made more transparent, efficient, and inclusive, with clear performance metrics and greater accessibility for smallholder farmers, especially women and youth in agriculture. Done right, these schemes can serve as catalysts for increasing yields, improving rural livelihoods, and enhancing national food security.

    Failure to act decisively would be an economic and security miscalculation. A food-insecure Nigeria is a fragile Nigeria. Hunger and poverty are known drivers of social unrest, migration, and instability, all of which carry long-term costs that far outweigh the price of preventative action today.

    As the population continues to grow, the demand for food will intensify. Nigeria must therefore prioritize agricultural resilience and food self-sufficiency as a cornerstone of its national development agenda. Investing in food security is not merely an economic necessity, it is a matter of national survival.

    •Zayyad I. Muhammad, Abuja

  • Expert seeks solution to food insecurity

    Expert seeks solution to food insecurity

    As Nigeria faces mounting food security challenges, innovative food entrepreneur and founder of Gradios Pap, Oluyemisi Obe, is spearheading transformative solutions through sustainable food processing technologies and market-driven approaches.

    Drawing from her extensive expertise spanning over 9 years in the food processing industry, Obe has not only identified critical gaps in the sector but has actively developed and implemented innovative solutions to address them.

    “Our focus is on creating scalable, sustainable solutions that can significantly impact food security while making nutritious food more accessible and affordable,” explains Obe, who leads groundbreaking initiatives in food processing innovation.

    Through her company, Prothrive Astute Heights Ltd, Obe has achieved a significant milestone by pioneering the commercial production of powdered pap using biofortified Vitamin A maize – an innovation that directly addresses both nutritional needs and food security challenges.

    This breakthrough came at a crucial time, as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) projects Nigeria’s population to reach 400 million by 2050, making it the third most populous country globally. 

    This demographic shift, combined with current food system challenges, demands innovative solutions.

    “We’re focused on developing sustainable food processing systems that can scale efficiently while maintaining high nutritional value,” Obe emphasized, highlighting her organization’s commitment to addressing these challenges through innovation.

    Her expertise and vision have earned international recognition. After completing the prestigious Entrepreneurship Development Program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Obe’s innovative approaches garnered attention at the Nutripitch competition by SUN Business Network, where her company was selected among the top 5 businesses to represent Nigeria at the Regional Pitch competition in Nairobi, Kenya.

    Under Obe’s leadership, Prothrive Astute Heights Ltd has established itself as a pioneer in implementing innovative food processing solutions. 

    The company’s breakthrough in commercial production of vitamin-enriched powdered pap demonstrates the potential for local solutions to address national challenges.

    Addressing industry standards, Obe has taken a leadership role in advocating for and implementing rigorous quality control measures. 

    “We’re setting new benchmarks for commercial food production, particularly in traditional food products, while ensuring these standards are both practical and scalable,” she explained.

    The impact of Obe’s work extends beyond immediate food production. By developing efficient processing systems and implementing innovative solutions, she is creating a blueprint for sustainable food security that can be replicated across the country.

    Through these initiatives, Obe continues to demonstrate how private sector innovation can effectively address critical food security challenges while creating sustainable economic opportunities in Nigeria’s food processing sector.

  • Farm pledges to solve food insecurity

    Farm pledges to solve food insecurity

    Arso Farm has reiterated its commitment to solving food insecurity.

    Speaking at the launch of an organic farm at Lekki, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the farm, Oluwaseun Obadan, noted that the farm would solve food insecurity and produce products that are indigenously farmed and processed.

    Obadan said it took  about five years to launch Arso farm products.

    She noted the effectiveness of greens, noting consuming them made her regain her health when she had anaemia.

    “After consuming the greens, I regained my health. Now, I advocate for everyone to keep consuming more greens. Consume them, whether it is as smoothies, as juices, even as your regular meals, consume them,” she said.

    Obadan said the  products include smoothies, juices; prepped vegetables, vegetables that cut kitchen time, adding its powdered vegetables retain 100 per cent nutrients.

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    She noted she observed people get tired easily due to wrong nutrient intake and malnutrition, hence her resolve to prevent illness, boost immunity, ease digestion and enhance bowel movement.

    Obadan, who is now an employer of labour, said she has a physical farm.

    “We do have, it’s not that big, but we have a lot of small, older farmers we work with. So because we have a lot of small, older farmers that we work with, I can say our farm is bigger than 10 hectares, at Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos.

    “We partner small, older farmers, we train them. We build loyalty around them so they can farm their grains organically, because that is what we want,”she noted.

  • Lagos lawmakers seek collaboration to end food insecurity

    Lagos lawmakers seek collaboration to end food insecurity

    Lawmakers of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Friday held simultaneous stakeholders’ meetings with their constituents with renewed commitments to boost food security and sufficiency in the state.

    They also called for collaboration by the stakeholders to end food insecurity.

    Speaking in his Agege Constituency 1, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, identified food insecurity as a multi-faceted challenge requiring the efforts of the government and the people to resolve.

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    This year’s stakeholders’ meeting is the ninth in the series and has the theme: ‘Ensuring Food Security for Sustainable Future: Youth Participation and Home-Grown Farming’.

    Obasa said the Lagos Assembly was committed to ensuring food security in line with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals of eradication of poverty.

    “We at the Lagos State House of Assembly are committed to making Lagos a producing state and not just a consuming state in the agriculture value chain to tackle the present-day reality of food insufficiency.”

  • Food insecurity: Osa Oni urges government to invest in agriculture

    Food insecurity: Osa Oni urges government to invest in agriculture

    The Presiding Bishop of Vineyard Christian Ministries, Archbishop Osa Oni, has called on governments at all levels to significantly invest in agriculture to alleviate food insecurity in Nigeria.

    Speaking at the Kingdom Celebration of the church-themed ‘Ever Increasing Greatness,’ held at Vineyard Christian Ministries International headquarters in Lagos, the archbishop emphasized the importance of harnessing the country’s vast, untapped arable land.

    Archbishop Oni highlighted that with the right investments from both the government and private sector, Nigeria could achieve self-sufficiency in food production.

    “The government can regulate food prices effectively only if it has invested in the agricultural sector by providing farmers with resources like seedlings, fertilizers, and other support systems,” he said.

    He noted that many Nigerians face hunger because farming has been largely abandoned in favour of white-collar jobs.

    Addressing the congregation, he also emphasized the importance of personal responsibility and faith-driven action in achieving greatness.

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    During his sermon, Archbishop Oni emphasized that greatness is often abused by those who receive it without effort.

    “Those that are given greatness, abuse it. But those that achieve it, keep it,” stressing the need for individuals to take responsibility for their actions and lives.

    Drawing from biblical references, the Archbishop explained that the concept of responsibility is deeply rooted in scripture.

    He illustrated this by reflecting on the story of Adam, noting that if Adam had taken responsibility for his actions, the outcome could have been different.

    “It’s a place of taking responsibility. If you don’t take responsibility for your life, nobody can take it for you,” he said.

    Archbishop Oni repeatedly highlighted the critical role of personal accountability, quoting Winston Churchill: “Responsibility is the prize of greatness.”

    He further reinforced this idea by recalling his own experiences and those of others who took charge of their destinies. “Your ability needs responsibility. To expose this possibility, until you respond to life, life will not respond to you,” he declared.

    The Archbishop also spoke about the importance of sowing the right seeds in life, referencing Genesis 26:12-14.

    He encouraged the congregation to envision a bright future, filled with opportunities for greatness. “I see colorful destiny in this house. I see kings and priests, CEOs, engineers, lawyers, great men, and women,” he said, urging everyone to take responsibility for their lives and futures

  • Lagos, stakeholders commit to fight food insecurity

    Lagos, stakeholders commit to fight food insecurity

    Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has expressed his administration’s commitment to partner key stakeholders to drive initiatives that will uplift the state’s agricultural sector, reduce waste and ensure that every Lagosian has access to nutritious food.

    He spoke at the 11th annual summit of the Association of Lagos State Retired Heads of Service and Permanent Secretaries (ALARHOSPS), with the theme: ‘Agenda for Sustainable Development and Food Security’.

    Sanwo-Olu, represented by Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, said by integrating sustainable practices in every aspect of the state’s development agenda, government would achieve a Lagos that is resilient, self-sufficient and a model for others to follow.

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    He said: “Food security is a critical component in sustainable development. It ensures food availability, accessibility, affor

    dability and nutritional quality. Lagos, being a megacity, deals with the challenges of rapid urbanisation and a growing population. These factors, coupled with global economic challenges, place immense pressure on our resources and infrastructure.”

    Highlighting the initiatives put in place by his administration, Governor Sanwo-Olu said Lagos has made significant strides in agriculture and food production through initiatives such as Agricultural Value Chain Development Programme, Lagos Agri-preneurship Programme and others, but, there is still much to be done.

    He noted that the summit would undoubtedly light the path of sustainable solution.

    “This summit is a further proof of the staunch support of ALARHOSPS for this administration, as they have consistently kept in step with us, bringing to bear their wealth of experience in proffering solutions to burning issues such as this,” he said.

    Head of Service Bode Agoro noted that improving agricultural productivity, reducing food waste, enhancing supply chain efficiency and ensuring that the most vulnerable population could access affordable and nutritious food in the country was essential.

    He added that achieving food security in Lagos would involve addressing multiple dimensions, including food availability, access, utilisation and stability.

    “As a society, we are at a critical point where addressing issues such as environmental sustainability, economic resilience and ensuring access to nutritious and sufficient food for all citizens is essential,” he said.

    President of ALARHOSPs Otunba Nurudeen Ojora-Adejiyan described the summit as a veritable platform that would provide long-lasting solutions to relevant issues in the country, especially food security.

    According to him, food security is a must to achieve a stable and prosperous society and improve the quality of life.

    Ojora-Adejiyan said Nigeria, despite its cultural heritage and potentials, had faced challenges of food security, storage and many more.

    He, therefore, stressed the need to address the challenges through a comprehensive and proactive approach.

    He urged scholars and practitioners in the agricultural sectors to share their experience and proffer long-lasting solutions that would ensure food security in the state and country for the betterment of all.

    Keynote Speaker Dr. Adetinji Orelope, urged the government to shift focus towards driving an integrated food systems that promote new ways of doing business, as well as address market and institutional incentives.

    Orelope said the food systems approach would be achieved through five Infrastructural Systems (I.S), including innovation, incentives, institutions, investment, and information.

  • Food insecurity: Legislature farms as core constituency projects

    Food insecurity: Legislature farms as core constituency projects

    The greatest of all challenges facing this nation is food insecurity. Remember the popular saying: “A hungry man is an angry man.” When people are hungry, they become disoriented and vulnerable to temptations. Many of the hungry people could sell their soul for a plate of porridge. Malnutrition is so widespread among children that parents and health providers assume the children’s lethargy and stunting to be normal.

    Ensuring food security has become an issue of key importance to people and government of Nigeria, and demands the support of all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians. At a session on Thursday July 18, 2024, members of the House of Representatives agreed to slash 50 per cent of their monthly salaries for six months as part of their financial contribution to fight hunger in the country. That is commendable, but I believe the Honourable Representatives can do better.  Nigeria like many African countries is more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because we rely on rain-fed agriculture for food and livelihoods. Small-scale agriculture presents an opportunity to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor and ensure food security; however, many of the rural farmers, who had previously managed to successfully cultivate crops for subsistence use and to supplement their income, now experience poor yields or have ceased production due to attacks by terrorists and bandits.

    Increasing climate variability, fluctuating temperature and rainfall patterns, is an indicator that agricultural processes will not remain the same as crop and ecosystem responses are also expected to change. These changes comprise variations in nutrient cycling, changes in evapotranspiration, soil moisture content, as well as changes in pest incidences and plant diseases, all these entirely impact food production and food security.

    A resilient agricultural system is important in mitigating the effects of climate change.  Resilience is defined as the ability or tendency of a system to maintain its organizational structure and efficiency after perturbation. Therefore, a resilient agricultural system will keep producing high crop yields even after severe climate changes such as droughts or significant rainfall reductions. Crop biodiversity can therefore provide the connection between climatic stress and resilience of the system because a diversity of organisms is important for ecosystems to perform optimally and provide essential services. Furthermore, integrating graduates for the national youth service programs as part of the agricultural workforce would go a long way to enhance productivity.  I therefore suggest that the places of primary assignment of all Youth Corp drafts should henceforth be farms and other agricultural value chains.

    Once upon a time, all food was organic. The worldwide population has increased tremendously. Unsurprisingly, the demand for food has grown beyond imagination. And so, humans have discovered different ways of growing food. Inorganic food is one of the results of those discoveries. Organic food is grown naturally without synthetic fertilizers, chemicals, pesticides, or hormones.  Inorganic foods include food grown using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and growth hormones; food with preservatives added to increase its shelf life is inorganic.

    To ensure increased and sustainable crop productivity, Nigeria should embrace improved crop varieties that are adapted to diverse environments. Improved varieties help in building crop resilience to diseases, crop pests and environmental stresses such as the emergence of new pests. However, some Nigerians including members of the National Assembly have reservations about improved crop varieties. If the aversion to inorganic food especially those derived from genetically modified organism (GMO) is very strong, we should take drastic steps towards organic food production.

    Young people do not want to work in a sector where work conditions are inadequate and ‘dirty’ work must be performed. Modernization has the potential to attract the interest of young people. Adopting innovative practices (using robotics, satellite-based crop monitoring, farm management software, etc.) would encourage the younger generation to take over farms and improve the viability of farms.

    The problem of nation-building predisposed Nigeria’s ruling elite to thinking that the youths, who would be the country’s future leaders, would help to address its national challenges after the 1967-1970 Civil War. Government, therefore, came up with the idea of National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) which must start with the graduate youths.  But, the students thought otherwise. They were mostly of the opinion that national service ought to be inclusive, sparing no segment of the population such as ministers, public officers and parents. Whatever their agitations and demands were in this period were put to rest when government held a dialogue with representatives of the National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) and subsequently went ahead to establish the scheme in 1973.

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    In 2017, all River Basin Development Authorities in Nigeria were instructed to set up at least one Integrated Organic Farm patterned after the Songhai Model in Porto-Novo, République du Bénin, in each Senatorial District in Nigeria. I doubt if the task was carried out, because nothing like that in my home state, Enugu or state of residence, Lagos. We could revisit that arrangement, establishing the integrated farms in the 109 Senatorial zones of the federation for the NYSC primary assignments.  

    Students might disagree with this suggestion, just as they opposed the initial idea of NYSC. In preempting the students’ resistance, I suggest also the members of National Assembly (Senators/Representatives) in whose constituencies the farms are sited be involved as farm managers, adopting the proposed farm projects as their core constituency projects. The National Assembly members will engage their staff at the constituency offices as part of the farm workforce and supervisors.  Security operatives should be available to protect the farms.

    Food is the most basic of the three basic human needs and apart from sustaining the individual and making him fit for work and for play; it is also a national power. A nation that is self-sufficient or nearly self-sufficient in food production will become a respected actor in the international stage and will be playing from the position of strength. The one that cannot feed itself and therefore becomes a charity case must inevitably lose respect in the international arena.

    Those who know better say: “agricultural growth is three times more effective in reducing extreme poverty than growth in other sectors.  Such growth is heavily dependent on private-sector investments and functioning market mechanisms.”  I therefore call on private sector investors to join forces with the government in fighting food insecurity.

  • Strategic solutions to food insecurity

    Strategic solutions to food insecurity

    Sir: Addressing food insecurity in Nigeria requires a multifaceted approach that considers the complex socio-economic, environmental, and political factors involved. The followingare some strategies that could help mitigate food insecurity in the country.

    Number one is to set up machinery for the improvement of agricultural productivity by encouraging farmers to embrace the use of modern farming techniques, such as precision agriculture, improved seed varieties, and efficient irrigation systems. Government at all levels also needs to create access to inputs: ensure that farmers have access to quality seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides; provide training programs for farmers on best practices, pest management, and sustainable farming methods.

    Secondly, the government should as a matter of urgency begin to strengthen infrastructure that would enhance transportation networks. Improve rural roads and transportation networks to facilitate the movement of goods from farms to markets, encourage public private partnership in the provision of storage facilities as ell as building and maintaining adequate storage facilities to reduce post-harvest losses.

    The Ministry of Agriculture should also create market access. This can be done by developing better market systems to help farmers sell their produce at fair prices.

    Support for smallholder farmers is crucial. So also the provision of access to microfinance and credit facilities to enable smallholder farmers to invest in their farms.

    Government should encourage the formation of farmer cooperatives to enhance bargaining power and reduce costs through collective purchasing and selling.

    The Ministry of Agriculture should strengthen agricultural extension services to support farmers with technical advice and information.

    State and local governments should face reality of their peoples needs. They should support and cooperate with the federal government in addressing the food shortage situation. Every state should as a matter of necessity, prioritize agriculture development; provide, organize support base for farmers in their states.

    To demonstrate sincerity of purpose, the fedearal will need to embark on policy reforms that will support, protect and encourage many young populations to go into farming. The government can start this with implementing land reform policies to secure land tenure for smallholder farmers, making it easier for them to invest in their land. It should provide targeted subsidies and incentives to support agricultural production and reduce the cost of farming inputs.

    It should also develop and implement comprehensive food security policies that address the needs of the most vulnerable populations.

    Nothing stops the government from converting the National Youth Service Scheme into National Youth Farming Scheme, whereby all youth corps members are trained right from camp on various areas of agriculture, animal farming, seeds production etc. The host states should be mandated to provide arable land, farm tools, farm inputs, and other resources, including financial resources required to succeed by the young corps members in their respective states. At the end, the state governments through the local councils will be mandated to purchase whatever the youth corps are able to yield from their farm lands.  Naturally, some of these corps’ members will embrace farming when they finish their service year. Moreso. they will have enough capital and experience to embrace farming rather than be looking for unavailable white-collar jobs, or go into crimes.

    Lastly the federal government should begin to foster international partnerships to access funding, technology, and expertise, leverage international aid and support to implement large-scale food security programs and projects.

    Implementing these strategies requires collaboration among government agencies, non-governmental organizations, private sector stakeholders, and the international community. A coordinated and sustained effort is essential to address the root causes of food insecurity and ensure long-term food security for Nigeria.

    •Adetola Odusote,Lagos.