Stakeholders call for joint action against hunger, malnutrition

A group of stakeholders have called on the government to lead a joint action in the fight against hunger and malnutrition underscoring the need to invest in smallholder farmers and youths to actively tackle poverty and eliminate food shortages, waste and hunger.

Speaking in commemoration of the 2023 World Hunger Day (WHD), Director General of the Feed Nigeria Summit Secretariat, Mr. Richard-Mark Mbaram emphasized the need to prioritise an interconnected, entire value chain approach to sustainable intensification in the agricultural sector, in order to ensure that Nigeria can eliminate hunger among its populace.

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According to him, the WHD, as a day dedicated to recognize the efforts towards ending hunger and poverty​​ is in line with the vision of the Feed Nigeria Summit. “At the secretariat, we prioritize and support dialogue, projects and measures that touch on the quest to end hunger, malnutrition and poverty”. “The Feed Nigeria Summit provides a platform to promote synergy various stakeholders, particularly those in the public and private sectors of the agroeconomy.”

This year’s summit theme: “Climate Change and Food Security: Achieving Economic Recovery through Resilient Action”, aligns with the theme of WHD2023 which is: “Celebrating Sustainable Solutions to Hunger and Poverty”. Mbaram noted that 828 million people facing hunger and starvation is a figure too embarrassing in a world as sophisticated and advanced as the one we currently inhabit. “Something radical has to be done to change the situation ” he added.

In his Goodwill message at a Dinner meeting with farmers organised by Nigeria chapter of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa,in collaboration with Alliance for Science, Acting Director General of the National Agricultural Seed Council of Nigeria (NASC), Dr. Khalid Ishiak, explained that the greatest challenge of agriculture in Nigeria is seed. He further noted that the “menace called farmer-herder clashes persists largely because we have not fully embraced biotechnology. Our population is increasing and we have the responsibility to feed them as well as our livestock”.
According to Dr. Ishiak, “Nigeria today is producing ginger, sun flower, cassava. But we have not worked hard enough to develop the seed for ginger. The quality of seed is very important to crop productivity.”

Also, DG/CEO, NABDA, Prof. Abdullahi Mustapha, said the event provided an opportunity to raise awareness about the central role of the farmer populace in addressing the issue of hunger and food insecurity in our country. In his words ” First, we need to recognise the farmers as the backbone of our food systems. “Agriculture through technology will end hunger in our lifetime and We need to deploy everything possible to use biotechnology to fight hunger.”

In his remarks, Regional Director, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Dr. Jean Baptiste Tignegre, noted the need to integrate biotechnological advancement to develop agriculture. “We need to not only acknowledge, but pledge continued support for our farmers to have access to security, training,and knowledge, among others.” On his part, the representative of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), called for more funding windows for agricultural research and institutions in Nigeria.

Speaking for the organizers, the Country Coordinator, Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology (OFAB) in Africa, Dr. Rose M. Gidado, said the importance of scientific innovations in tackling food crisis cannot be overemphasized. “OFAB, Nigeria Chapter, an initiative of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) under the auspices of the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) in collaboration with the Alliance for Science is holding a Dinner party in commemoration of the World Hunger Day. “The Objective of this dinner is to celebrate Farmers, Partners and individuals who are committed to reducing food insecurity in Nigeria and in the world at large and also launch a campaign for National Farmers Day. “The goal of National Farmers Day is to honour and recognize the hard work of farmers who feed their communities and countries”, Dr. Gidado stated.

Chairman of the occasion, Architect Kabiru Ibrahim, President of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN). The AFAN President enjoined the Government to be more deliberate about empowering Nigerian farmers to deliver qualitative food to the populace, noting that there had been an inordinate emphasis on rice, to the detriment of other crops that are at the foundation of the country’s food security effort. “We have beans, sunflower, soyabeans and cassava; to mention but a few, and to spend so much money on rice, is just not logical”, the AFAN leader added.

Founded by The Hunger Project in 2011, the WHD is observed to raise awareness about the more than 820 million people living in chronic hunger and to encourage actions that focus on creating sustainable food systems that will ensure everyone has equal access to nutritious and affordable food, both now and in the future, while reducing postharvest losses and food waste.

Agronews/S.S