Nigeria showcases food security measures at the UN Food Systems Summit

Recently, world leaders, agriculturists, nutritionists and experts on food and nutrition converged on Rome, Italy, for the UN Food Summit +2, which held at the headquarters of the Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO.  The Summit was convened by the United Nations Secretariat in collaboration with the FAO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD.

The summit reviewed the achievements made since the first UN Food Summit that took place in 2021. It was an opportunity for countries to present their food systems, the challenges they face in feeding their populace, efforts at transforming their situation towards food security, funding, and relevant data to measure food systems as well as bridging the gaps that exist in food in the social strata. Other issues that came up at the summit for the transformation of food systems were distribution, transportation, storage, commercialization and access to markets.

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guteress commended the participating countries for their commitment to tackle the problems of hunger and malnutrition. He called for increased funding of healthier, equitable and sustainable food systems, pointing out the need for every person, in every community and country, to have access to safe and nutritious food they need and deserve.

He urged governments to respond to the call for an SDG Stimulus to scale up affordable long-term financing for all countries in need by at least 500 billion dollars a year.  He said such intervention would help countries make meaningful progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 2 to achieve zero hunger, and build systems that can ensure people have access to affordable and nutritious food wherever they live.

The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgio Meloni described food insecurity as one of the major challenges the world since the COVID-19 pandemic that shook the foundations of international trade and mobility and exposed the deep weakness of global supply chains and globalization.

She pointed out that as the world worked overcome the impact of the pandemic and rebuild global trade flows, Russia’s war in Ukraine disrupted the global energy prices and helped to unleash waves of inflation around the world at the expense of the most vulnerable nations, especially in the global south.

Vice President Kashim Shatima as leader of the Nigerian delegation told the summit that Nigeria had taken steps to transform the nation’s food systems through the investment of about N521 million in food systems transformation for higher performing, healthier, more sustainable and more equitable food security.

He assured participants at the summit that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was geared towards ending hunger in Nigeria by ensuring food security and nutrition. Other measures by Nigeria towards food security are the provision of decent income for farmers, catalyzing increased yield and economic growth and environmental sustainability.

Describing the IFAD as “magic makers,” Nigeria’s Vice President said partnership with IFAD had enabled the country to roll on the value chain development programme that led to empowering 100,000 small scale farmers to get out of the poverty.

Nigeria’s Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) and Special Agricultural Zones, SAPZ, which Vice President Shettima showcased at the high-level engagement, represent unique and concrete model of mobilizing transformative investment to develop Nigeria’s food systems. The VCDP focuses on supporting value chains for small farmers while also addressing the constraints along the value chains.

Another area of interest is Nigerian government’s plans to reactivate the River Basin Development Authorities for enhanced food production and livelihood support for Nigerians.  The River Basin Development Authorities were agencies of government created in the 1970s to develop water resources to boost agricultural production which will go in long way in driving the country’s food system transformation by leveraging agribusiness, creating jobs in the sector and developing the agricultural value chain.

Nigeria has also renewed commitment to food and nutrition since the Nutrition Conference of 2022, the National Food and Micro-Nutrient Intake Survey and the National State Level Food Systems.

Nigerian government partnering with the UN systems should guarantee food security for its people, but what is required is the implementation of the agreed interventions by the partners to support Africa.

The recent declaration of national emergency on food security by the Nigerian government is a step in the right direction and should be commended. The decision was borne out of government’s determination to curb inflation and make food more affordable for the poor.

It is expected that more investments will be provided in the food value chain and the creation of the required enabling environment for peace and agricultural activities to pick up in the war-torn nations to accelerate food production and processing around the world.