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The removal of fuel subsidies and floating of the exchange rate has made it difficult for many Nigerians to access food items. The Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stated that the consumer price index rose from 22.22 per cent to 24.41 per cent between April and May 2023. Food inflation rate rose from 24.61 per cent in April to 24.82 per cent in May 2023. When compared to, on a year-on-year basis, this was 5.33 per cent point higher than 19.5 per cent recorded in May, 2022.
Unless urgent actions are taken to address the continuing rise in food prices, Nigeria will remain among the countries facing acute food insecurity. One of the vital components of the food system globally is agriculture and it is also the most important economic sector with a high level of socio-economic relevance for many countries concerning employment generation, nutrition, and rural development.
Agriculture appears to be the only realistic driver of economic and social development in many countries in the near future. Smallholder farmers produce more than 80 per cent of the world food production. Ironically, across all countries, people living in rural areas are most exposed to food insecurity owing to limited access to food and financial resources. With a population of more than 200 million people, about 80 per cent of Nigerians depend on small-scale agriculture for their food needs.
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The need to improve agricultural production and rural livelihood activities necessary to boost food supplies and increase the income of farming households, stated Prof. Abdulazeez Lawal, the don who teaches in the Faculty of Agriculture of UNILORIN. Lawal also advised the government at all tiers to improve funding and effective implementation of food security programs. The government should design a policy strategy that would encourage technology transfer as well as ensure the use of modern farming techniques by smallholder farmers, he further said. He observed that an estimated 17 million people were at risk of food insecurity in October 2022.The agriculturist urged the government to ensure the security of lives and properties through development and peace-building policies in handling issues in conflict-affected areas.
