Nigeria needs to confront food security – ActionAid

An international non-governmental organization with focus on right to food, the ActionAid Nigeria, has said that the country needs to confront food security in its domain.

This, ActionAid said, would be in line with the National Adaptation and Plan Action on climate change.

The adaptation strategies, according to the programme officer, Right to Food at ActionAid Nigeria, Ms Constance Okeke at the recently concluded regional non-state actors’ workshop in Abuja, would also build on existing strategies and predictive climate scenarios in order to assess the prospective vulnerability and long term requirement.

“It is a necessity for Nigerian government as a matter of urgency to confront the crisis about food security, climate change and other resources,” she declared to NaijaAgroNet in a chat.

She maintained that it’s important for Nigeria to recognize this as major issue to the right of its citizens to life without poverty, right to food, right to life and livelihood, advising that Nigeria should examine success stories from other countries as a case study.

The ActionAid Nigeria further recommended the recognition of the strategic roles of small scale farmers in order to ensure food security in all the national strategic plans.

Creating a special funding scheme for small scale farmers, especially for women farmer, ActionAid said, would increase production, advocating for an increase in the annual budgetary allocation to a minimum of 10 per cent of the national budget.

The organization urged the federal and state governments to ensure that a revitalize agricultural extension services is up and running in all local governments of the federation, with attendant incentives to encourage and support climate resilient, low cost farming and, research and development focused on low input methods.

Yinka Awosanya/LS

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