How Nigeria will attain food sufficiency—Scientist
A post-doctoral researcher at the Food System Research Institute (FSR), Dr Emmanuel Abah, says accelerating the circulation of improved seeds and hybrids of staples food is crucial to boosting food security nationwide.
Abah said this during an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said also recommended optimisation of fertiliser use and implementation of soil fertility management with organic and mineral inputs as part of the measures to fight food insecurity.
Abah said that Nigeria’s agricultural food system was primarily driven by smallholder farmers, informal value chains, and a diverse range of staple crops, including yams, cassava, and maize.
He said crop yield per hectare for many staples were below potential due to low fertilizer application, limited use of improved seeds, poor soil health, among other factors.
He further said that markets remained fragmented and characterised by smallholder traders, poor rural roads, gaps in cold-chain storage, and weak contractual relations between producers and processors.
He advocated the promotion of climate-smart farming techniques such as water harvesting, small-scale irrigation, conservation agriculture, and agroforestry to stabilise yields and sequester carbon.
The expert said rural infrastructure and markets should be enhanced by improving roads, storage facilities, aggregation centres, and digital platforms that connect farmers to buyers as well as the provision of pricing information.
“Minimising post-harvest losses and improving value addition through affordable storage solutions, such as hermetic bags and silos should be in the front burner.
“There should also be village-level processing methods like milling and drying, and cold-chain logistics where necessary.
“Financial services and risk management tools, including microcredit, input vouchers, index insurance, and blended public-private financing to mitigate investment risks should be expanded,’’ he told newsmen.
He further called for strengthening of institutional support and extension services by professionalising outreach through blended models involving lead farmers, digital extension, and private providers.
Abah told newsmen that this should go along with boosting business skills, and post-harvest handling.
He also advocated policy consistency, improved land tenure system, targeted subsidies, increased investment in research and development for locally adapted crop varieties as part of measures to boost food availability.
