Abubakar: Massive Investment Required to Mitigate Hunger, Wastage in Agriculture

•Report: 258 million people in 58 countries faced acute food insecurity in 2022

•40% in Nigeria, Afghanistan, DRC, Ethiopia, Yemen

James Emejo in Abuja and Oluchi Chibuzor in Lagos

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar, yesterday said to transform agriculture, end hunger and food wastage in the country, the federal government and the private sector must be prepared to invest massively in the sector.

Speaking at the signing ceremony of the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Country Programming Framework (CPF) 2023-2027, he said the framework came at a time when Nigerian farmers desire it most with expectations that the programme would deliver to enable vulnerable households access to better food, maintain healthy diets, and improve the rural economy.

The minister called for a strong action plan to address the impact of climate change, global pandemic, institutional inadequacies, post-harvest losses and weak supply chain on food systems in partnership with development partners.

Abubakar, noted that the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy (2023-2027) and the FAO country programming framework would in line with the National Development Plan (2022-2025), aggressively drive Nigeria’s economic diversification programmes and transform food systems to ensure sufficient food in the country as well as export for foreign earnings.

The minister said since 1978 when the FAO opened its office in Nigeria; it had been focused on achieving food security for all and making sure that people have regular access to high-quality food and healthy lives.

He said the CPF was part of the strategy adopted by the UN member nations to raise global awareness on the state of food security and agricultural development in the world.

He said the country has the richest natural resources for agricultural production in the world, adding that the sector had been contributing consistently to the growth of the economy.

He said, “This exceptional development engineered the Government of Nigeria to continually develop an array of policies, strategies and programmes to boost food production and productivity in the country.

“Obviously, development partners are aware of the federal government’s commitment and initiatives in providing an enabling environment for sustainable investment in agriculture as the mainstay of the national economy.”

Nonetheless, the minister said the framework emphases four pillars of priorities for agricultural development including strengthening national food and nutrition security through enhanced nutrition sensitive and climate-smart food systems; support for appropriate and operationally effective agricultural policy and regulatory framework.

Other areas of focus include support to Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda and promotion of decent employment for youth and women in the agriculture value chains; improve efficient and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystem; and enhance disaster risk reduction, resilience building and emergency management towards strengthening the humanitarian development nexus.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, explained that the document describes the FAO’s medium term assistance priorities and results.

It is derived from nationally defined objectives to guide FAO’s partnership and assistance to Nigeria over the five-year period of the country’s programming cycle.

He said the current CPF provides the basis for collaboration and partnership between the federal government and FAO in four strategic priority areas to accelerate the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He said the rationale for these four areas stems from the national commitment to attaining sustainable food and nutrition security as well as repositioning agriculture as a vehicle for economic growth.

He said, “In an effort to address food insecurity and under-nutrition, the Government of Nigeria has committed significant resources to support food security programmes in all states with the assistance of development partners.

“Efforts by these development partners in this regard have been very instrumental towards the attainment of our national food security and nutrition goals. We are therefore committed to practical implementation of the CPF 2023-2027 by the FAO and wish to invite support from all stakeholders to ensure its successful implementation.”

He added that the framework will assist the government to tackle the current and emerging challenges facing food security and nutrition, agriculture and rural development to achieve the required results.

Meanwhile, as the war in Ukraine-Russia rages on, its resultant effects alongside climate shocks caused 258 million people to have experienced acute food insecurity, requiring urgent food, nutrition and livelihood assistance in 2022, with over a quarter of a billion facing acute hunger.

This number, according to an annual latest Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) released yesterday, revealed that the figure was the highest number in the seven-year history of the report.

However, the report noted that in 2022, the severity of acute food insecurity increased to 22.7 per cent, from 21.3 per cent in 2021, but remained unacceptably high. This it stated underscored a deteriorating trend in global acute food insecurity.

The annual report, produced by the Food Security Information Network (FSIN), was launched yesterday by the GNAFC- an international alliance of the United Nations, the European Union, governmental and non-governmental agencies, working to tackle food crises together, warned that people in seven countries are on the brink of starvation.

Speaking about the report, the United Nation Secretary-General António Guterres said: “More than a quarter of a billion people are now facing acute levels of hunger, and some are on the brink of starvation. That’s unconscionable.

“This seventh edition of the Global Report on Food Crises is a stinging indictment of humanity’s failure to make progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2 to end hunger and achieve food security and improved nutrition for all.

“This crisis demands fundamental, systemic change. This report makes clear that progress is possible. We have the data and know-how to build a more resilient, inclusive, sustainable world where hunger has no home — including through stronger food systems, and massive investments in food security and improved nutrition for all people, no matter where they live.”

According to the report, as released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) more than 40 percent of the population in IPC/CH Phase three or above resided in just five countries – Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, parts of Nigeria (21 states and the Federal Capital Territory – FCT), and Yemen.