FOOD SITUATION IN NIGERIA

In line with the mandate of the Policy Framework Advisory (PFA) office of SAHE Foundation, a public sector liaison platform through which our huge field experience, development partners’ concerns, and stakeholders’ recommendations are channeled to policy makers, a recent review of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) July 2022 Quarterly Global Report is presented here with a call to action.

The FAO assesses that globally 46 countries, including 33 in Africa, 10 in Asia, two in Latin America and the Caribbean, and one in Europe, are in need of external assistance for food. This list includes Ukraine, Sri Lanka and Nigeria. Serious concerns also relate to East Africa due to multiple seasons of drought conditions, with a looming risk of famine in some areas. Across the globe, the rising food prices and overall inflation are worsening food security conditions, particularly in low-income food-deficit countries like Nigeria, while the use of agricultural inputs could be limited by their elevated prices, possibly lowering yields and harvests in 2022.

In Nigeria particularly, there is exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies due to widespread lack of access resulting in localized food insecurity, severe and rising food inflation. Conflict in northern areas is what lead to localized shortfalls in cereal production, and the resulting high food prices.

According to the latest Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis, about 19.45 million people in Nigeria were projected to be in need of humanitarian food assistance between June and August 2022, including 1.18 million in CH Phase 4 (Emergency). As of October 2021, about 3.14 million people were estimated to be internally displaced in northern states.

The precarious food situation in Nigeria is gradually spiraling out of design and there is urgent need to address the deteriorating security conditions and conflicts in northern states which have led to localized shortfalls in staple food production, high food prices and reduced incomes.

There is also the need for the development of appropriate innovative technologies that will usher in aggressive expansion in food production beyond the customary localized areas of production, innovations that will make basic food crops adaptable to every region of the country

FAO. 2022. Crop Prospects and Food Situation – Quarterly Global Report No. 2, July 2022. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc0868en