Recently, the federal government reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing food security in Nigeria through a range of initiatives aimed at improving food production and fostering sustainable agricultural practices. Some of the initiatives were unveiled during the last meeting of 46th National Council on Agriculture and Food Security, where the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, outlined several priority actions being taken by the government.
The minister said, as priority actions, ongoing tasks include the delivery of agro-inputs to farmers, the repositioning of agricultural institutions, and deepening engagement among farmers, herders, and communities. In addition to this, Kyari highlighted other collaborative efforts such as enhancing water resource irrigation schemes, improving soil fertility, information systems, collaboration on water resource irrigation schemes, soil fertility and information systems, the establishment of laboratories in research institutes, and the repositioning of relevant universities, faculties, and colleges.
According to the minister, the primary aim of these initiative is to foster synergy, best practices, entrepreneurship, livelihood, as well as growth in the sector. The governor of Cross River state, who hosted the meeting, reiterated the state’s commitment to empowering smallholder farmers through the provision of agricultural inputs and financial grants aimed at boosting food production. He explained that the government would harness these elements to maximise agricultural potential, create sectoral linkages, and promote social inclusion as part of its strategy to ensure food security nationwide, saying the situation had led to widespread malnutrition, particularly among women and children, as highlighted in a study conducted by international development partners.
In a related development, a Professor of Food Safety and Biotechnology, Adewale Obadina, aligned with plans to establish laboratories in research institutes to boost farming, as he charged government at all levels to also promote the use of microorganisms in agriculture, food processing, and waste management. He said that this includes adopting biofertilisers and biopesticides to improve crop yields, supporting microbial fermentation and biopreservation to reduce food losses, and utilising probiotics in livestock and agriculture to boost productivity. Obadina made this known while delivering his inaugural lecture titled: “Inevitable ‘Frenemies’ in Food Security”.
The don noted that “post-harvest losses is a major challenge to food security”, saying that this could be mitigated through biopreservation, adding that lactic acid bacteria produce antimicrobial substances that prevent spoilage and extending the shelf-life of perishable foods. He affirmed that in livestock and aquaculture, probiotics and microbial feed additives improve animal health, productivity, and disease resistance, thereby ensuring a stable supply of animal protein. He added that by integrating microbial solutions into agriculture and food systems, food security could be strengthened through increased productivity, enhance safety, reduced losses and sustainable practices, ensuring long-term access to safe and nutritious food.
Obadina advised the government to come up with strategic plans to ensure food security, adding that “there is the need for Nigerians to leverage and increase awareness of ‘frenemies’ and how they can be used in agriculture. He called for increased support in research for fermented cassava, saying that capacity building awareness on food security should be made a compulsory course for all the 300-level students, urging the management of institutions to establish centres of excellence for food safety.
Meanwhile, a Professor of Fish Pathology and Management, Adeolu Akinyemi, has called for strict control and quarantine of fish and fish products across Nigerian borders, to avoid cross boundary transmission of pathogens, as he called on all state governments to emulate President Bola Tinubu at ensuring domestication of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in their respective states. Akinyemi stated that there must be high level of commitment in the promulgation of regulations and enforcement to achieve a near no-disease situation while calling for adequate mapping of facilities all over the country and proper certification of fish practitioners to remove quacks and unwholesome practices.
The expert equally called on the federal government to provide standard world-class laboratories in the geopolitical zones, with mandate strictly on fisheries to carry out routine diagnoses on the mode of transmission and spread of disease agent on a regular basis, adding that global best practice in aquaculture demands the enforcement of standard bio-security measures in every functional fish farm and value addition facilities, noting that strict adherence to this practice would forestall occurrence of disease outbreak. The professor made a case for the establishment of the Faculty or College of Marine and Blue Economy in all institutions offering agricultural courses in Nigeria.
The United Nations had projected that the number of food-insecure individuals in Nigeria would rise by seven million in August 2025 with 33.1 million people expected to face food insecurity in 2026. To overcome this serious challenge, a number of key-points should be examined from the above discourse to bolster food production in the country. They include the delivery of agro-inputs to farmers, repositioning of agricultural institutions, and deepening engagement among farmers, herders, and communities, enhancing of water resource irrigation schemes, improving soil fertility, information systems, and better collaboration on water resource irrigation schemes, soil fertility and information systems, among others.