Experts Decry Impact of Climate Change on Food Production in Nigeria

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

Experts in climate matters have decried the impact of climate change on food production in Nigeria, lamenting that many Nigerians remain unaware of how their everyday actions contribute to the growing crisis.

Co-founder and Executive Director of Climate Action Africa (CAA), formerly referred to as CMA, Grace Oluchi Mbah,  and other experts stated this in Awka yesterday, during a workshop on climate change.

Mbah hailed Nigeria’s commitment to major international climate agreements. She mentioned some of the agreements to include the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 2005 Kyoto Protocol, and the 2015 Paris Agreement, which she said Nigeria signed in 2016 and ratified in 2017.

She said: “Under my watch, Climate Action Africa has mobilised a significant network of over 100 climate activists across 15 African countries, to fight the debilitating effect of climate change on food production in Africa.

“In Nigeria, the escalating food shortages, marked by rising prices and decreased availability of agricultural products, are palpable. Yet, many Nigerians remain unaware of how their everyday actions contribute to this growing crisis.

“The impact of climate change in Nigeria is unmistakable, yet there is a lack of awareness about the necessary measures to mitigate these effects.

 “For residents aged between 30 and 60 in northern Nigeria, climate change is most noticeable through the dramatic shrinkage of Lake Chad—over 90 per cent in the past six decades.

“For others, it manifests as erratic weather patterns—absent harmattan winds in December, delayed rains, and increasingly unbearable heat. Essentially, climate change encompasses all human activities, including the emission of gases through everyday actions like respiration, impacting the planet either positively or negatively.”

 She noted that while Nigeria has made strides in some areas of climate policy, it falls short in others, especially in reducing emissions.

Mbah  advocated  an energy transition focusing on natural and compressed gas as transitional energy sources and called for increased government synergy and innovation in climate action across all sectors.

Other experts, including Director of the Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics Department at the National Biotechnology Development Agency, Dr. Shakirat Solebo,  pointed out the potential of Genome Editing Technology.

 “This innovative approach can enhance agricultural productivity by developing better-yielding and quicker-maturing seedlings, vital for ensuring food security as Nigeria’s population grows,” Solebo said.