Food sufficiency: Acquiring the status of a ‘save & secured society’ by strategic interventions

The subject of food security in Nigeria has recently risen to the top burner of national discourse. The dynamics of recent realities have brought into bear, strings which have made the narratives of food profile in the Country falling aback into the edge of scarcity. As scarcity continues to wax gross, the profile of inflation of food prices has brought socio-economic challenges which are largely unappealing for the definition of a healthy population. Perusal of the circumstantial factors giving expression to the deepening narratives of insufficiency of food in the Country have been noted to be subjects of deep seated shortfalls and social strains which are largely compounded by depths of clogging challenges which have become matters of national concerns.

The perusal of the prevailing profile of food capacity in the Country, now reflects she is wallowing within the zone of food crisis. The exponential increase in food prices borne by deep seated scarcity has become a ground for societal discordance. Shortfalls in food production has seen prices of staples recording over 300 percent increase on-year-on comparison. Huge shortfalls in  food production has recently become a thorn on the Country’s flesh. The trend roving to assume troubling dimension began to take the face of ugly reality since the third quarter of 2020. Since situations have worsened to see food prices soaring exponentially with such local food staples as beans, cassava and its derivatives, other root crops as yam and potatoes, among other food crops, recording over 300 per cent hike in price.

The paradox that readily comes to mind when consideration is given to take thought on the depths of potentials readily within the reach of the Country – human and natural resources – and the depth of food constrains now frowning at the Country, would only be such sparking irreconcilable lamentations on the insensitivity to the creative utilisation and optimisation of potentials to propel growth and development.

The centrality of agriculture to the definitions of food profile in the Country remains indisputable. The state of food self sufficiency and otherwise holds incontrovertible relativity to the status of the productivity of the agriculture sector. The weakening state of the sector in Nigeria with the waves of worsening challenges have continued to put before the Country situations where food sufficiency is far becoming an unpurchased luxury.

The heightening of insecurity profile in the Country has constituted an albatross which has dealt huge blow on the sector. The ravages of the escapades of bandits and the phenomenon of the herdsmen/farmers’ crisis are subjects of disturbances which have posed stormy constraints against the sector. Recently, the worsening of attacks against farmers and their settlements have left several farmers stranded, their settlements set ablaze, as panic continues to pose desertion of farmlands with attendant wastage as fear of being attack have left farmers abandoning their farmlands. Beyond the North, the extension of the menace across the Country has left a sad narrative of deep shortages in food production, and as a result scarcity which has formed the ground for food inflation. Other administrative and institutional constrains as huge infrastructure deficits; the preponderance of the labour-intensive traditional farming culture and its attendant drudgery; the vagaries of season and shifting based cultivation; the poor provisions of key facilities as storage which are grounds for wastage;  low provisions for mechanisation and technical know-how for same; have remained deep seated challenges characterising confrontations against  the sector.

The challenges notwithstanding, Agriculture has remained, by submission, on the ladder of top discourse as a potent ground through which the demanded diversification of the Nigerian economy can be structured. As the shortfalls and vagaries from global oil prices continue to pose strains of instability to the Nigerian economy, calls to diversify the economy by developing agriculture to a virile state of productivity to form another base upon which the economy can reliably rest has become established. However, it is glaring that the administration of measures towards these objectives are still infantile and practically ill-defined.

On Wednesday,  the Federal government  disclosed that it has set aside a fund to the tune of N600billion as loans for about 2.4million farmers across the Country. Making this known at the opening ceremony of the events to commemorate the 2021 ‘World Food Day’ at the National Agricultural Show/Exhibition organised by the National Agricultural Foundation of Nigeria (NAFN) in Nasarawa State, President Muhammadu Buhari said the N600billion loan facility will be routed through the Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support project (APPEALS) with the aim of giving support to farmers across the country. Buhari who was represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Mohammed Abubakar, said the gesture will support farmers in the Country to improve their productivity aimed at boosting the Country’s food security, improving farmers’ production and increasing export. He was quoted: “The Federal Government is not resting on its oars in addressing challenges of the country’s agricultural sector. The Federal Government through the Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support project (APPEALS) has set aside N600 billion as loan support to farmers across the country. No fewer than 2.4 million farmers are expected to benefit from the loan which has zero interest. The gesture will support farmers in the country to improve their productivity aimed at boosting the Country’s food security, improving farmers’ production and increasing export. It is gratifying that the sector is being treated as business, no longer as a development project, with massive distribution of high quality farm inputs, dissemination of appropriate research results and significant enhancement of the agricultural commodity value chains.”

While the need for heavy investments in the agriculture sector cannot be contested, it is pertinent to note that such huge financial dedications may not yield the intended purposes if the administrative patterns of implementation are ill-defined, poor managed and monitored. As many would say that Nigeria’s problem does not lie in paucity of policies, but rather the successful implementation of same, the significance of a rethink is sacrosanct. The poor culture of governance which frustrates implementation of policies to pragmatically yield their purposes is a key subject of concern demanding reformative approach. While the move for empowerment of farmers cannot be contended as a justifiable measure, it would however become a loss when the administration of the scheme is left uncultured with poor strategies.

The place of vitalising the implementation system of its interventions in agriculture and other sectors with virile structures of monitoring, feedback, as well as forward-backward impact appraisal is sacrosanct if the government wishes to secure a sectoral change in the prevailing narratives of waning productivity. The socio-economic impacts of the deficiencies pose nothing but ravages of poor living standards. Food remains on the top of the ladder among human necessities; thus giving optimum attention to driving apparatuses to move the Country from the edge of acute food crises to the verge of self sufficiency is critical to acquire the status of a “save, secured and prosperous” nation which is the thirst of Nigerians.