The recent report by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of looming food crisis in the Northern north has further reinforced the obvious in the past couple of years; BENJAMIN UMUTEME reports.
Mrs Jane Ochia, has just returned from the Sabon Gari market in Kano, looking dejected. The mother of four who manages a shop at Freetown street, was angry with herself because she could not buy some of the food stuff she needed to fill her shop. According to her, the N80,000 she took to the market could only get her half of what she used to purchase at normal times.
Even for Kaduna resident, Mrs Catherine Tolani, the story is the same as the family has had to adjust significantly in the face rising prices of locally produced agricultural products partly occasioned by dwindling supply.
“I can’t stock my shop like I used to do before due to the increase in the price of agric produce. And besides, patronage from my customers has gone down because many of them were not finding things easy like it was before the covid-19 lockdown,” Mrs. Ochia told Blueprint.
Mrs Ochia and Tolani’s experience reflects current happenings across most states of the Northern region of Nigeria.
Agriculture is critical to any country due to its contribution to the growth and development of any economy.
It provides food and raw materials to the non-agricultural sectors of the economy, it provides employment opportunities to a vast majority of unemployed labour and serves as an avenue by which valuable foreign exchange can be earned through the export of agricultural products. But alas that is again changing!
Over the past couple of years, the issue of food scarcity has topped discussion at different fora when issues concerning food insecurity is discussed.
In spite of talks and seeming action being taken to address the issue, being able to guarantee food on the table of citizens continues to be an herculean task.
Agric stakeholders have been drumming it into the heart of the government that Nigeria is heading for a food crisis if it fails to address the issue of food security.
With a growing population of over 200 million the call for the government to increase action on addressing the issue of food scarcity has become more strident.
In spite of government’s claim of doing more to increase food production in the country, analysts says, it is all talk and little action as demand continues to outstrip food production as many farmers in the north would rather take their produce across the country’s borders to sell thereby making more profit than supply the local market. This, added to the climate change challenge that continues to impact negatively on farming in the region.
The FAO report
With various factors combining to drive the northern part of Nigeria towards the precipice of a food crisis, the joint report by Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), titled “Early Warning Analysis of Acute Food Insecurity Hotspots” released last Thursday further buttress such fears.
The report stated that in the next three to six months, the north is likely to face potential spikes in high acute food insecurity, driven by multiple overlapping factors.
The report said about 9.8 million people in 16 northern states of Nigeria including the FCT are currently facing acute food shortage.
The UN agency also warned that the number could rise to about 14 million if measures are not taken on time to avert the hunger crisis.
The report listed the main causes of the crisis to include floods, climate change effects and the ongoing decade-long armed insurgency.
According to the report, “about 9.8 million people in Nigeria are expected to be in a hunger crisis or worse between October and December 2020 and if immediate measures are not taken to mitigate the situation, about 13.8 million people will be facing acute food shortage crisis between June and August 2021.”
Concerns
As things stand at the moment, the situation is not looking good for the country especially the north as a combination of climate change, insurgency and inflation seem to be edging towards the FAO’s report fulfilling itself. The endless farmers-herders clash, many say continues to displace many farmers who have in order to survive resorted to crime and other associated vices.
And of course, farmers in the north have been bearing the brunt with the North West of the country the worst hit.
Many farmers in Kebbi, say due to rampant kidnappings they are unable to go to the farm. They say this may lead to food insecurity.
For a farmer in Zamfara, Abdullahi Dalla-Dalla, farmers are always facing threats from bandits. According to him, lost over 150 bags of grains to bandits.
“The unfortunate thing is that, with recent security challenges facing the state, I am not sure whether farming would take place in Zamfara this year,” he said.
For instance, 10,000 households, mostly peasant farmers, have been displaced in Zamfara State. While in about six local governments in Kebbi, over 350 farmers have abandoned their farms for fears of either being kidnapped or killed by bandits who continue to ride roughshod on villages.
For economist Friday Efih, the situation is not looking good. According to him, the projection by the FAO in its report did not give the actual picture of things.
“The report by FAO does not paint the true picture of things as they are at the moment. The level of insecurity in the north is gradually killing agriculture in the region and its not looking good for the country,” he told Blueprint correspondent in a telephone interview.
Painting a grimmer picture, Secretary of All Farmers Association in Nigeria (AFAN) in Kebbi, Muhammad Idris, revealed that over 350 farmers have been affected as a result of banditry in Danko/Wasagu, Argungu, Yauri, Ngaski, Zuru and Birnin Kebbi local government areas.
He said: “Our members, especially rice farmers, have stopped going to their farmlands in those areas for fear of being kidnapped or killed. Rice farming is not like any other farming as it requires constant and close monitoring; you have to be closer and observant of how it grows and the level of water and all that, hence you have to be going to the farm everyday if not; it will not yield a positive result.”
In Kaduna, the story is not different from what is happening in Zamfara and Kebbi, as many farmers have lost hope in their farming business due to security concerns in the state.
The story is told of a big poultry farmer along Kaduna-Abuja expressway, to whose owner had to abandon the place for fear of being kidnapped.
According to unverified reports, each time he is called by residents and workers alike, he would tell them to take care of the place.
The Zamfara State chapter of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) fear that the state might experience 50 per cent reduction in rice and other farm produce in the forthcoming farming season due to activities of bandits.
They say the state has been witnessing a decline in agricultural production over the years, which has not only worsened the poverty level of the people but also raised the level of hunger across the state.
“Most of our farmers cannot go to farms due to fear of bandits’ attacks and kidnapping. Bandits send messages of attack to communities or tax farmers large amounts of money before they allow them to go to farms.
“Bandits are now the ones who decide whether we go to farms or not, in some areas even if farmers plant crops they cannot cultivate due to insecurity. The situation is unfortunate; most of our members are victims of this ugly situation.
“Most of the areas affected by insecurity are areas where we have large numbers of farmers. Some of our farmers produce thousands of bags of grains, not only rice, almost all the crops grown in this state now cannot produce even a quarter of the quantity of food they used to produce.”
Climate change plays its own part
Regarded as one of the largest water bodies in Africa, Lake Chad is fast losing its traction. The water level and size has shrunk by a massive 90 per cent compared to what it was in the 1960s.
Its surface area has decreased from a peak of 25,000 square kilometres to approximately 1,350 square kilometres today.
Experts say there is already a 60 per cent decline in fish production, degradation of pasturelands, leading to shortage of dry matter estimated at 46.5 per cent in certain places in 2006, reduction in the livestock population, and threat to biodiversity, food and agriculture.
This has driven the population around the Basin downwards towards the vegetative areas of the North Central and Southern part of the country.
These have had its impact on herdsmen-pastoralist communities’ crises, the Kaduna crisis, and even the Zamfara massacres are all linked to Nigeria’s emerging water crisis with attendant effect on food production.
In a chat with Blueprint correspondent, Executive Secretary Global Rights Nigeria, Abiodun Baiyewu, said Nigerians were already feeling the impact of insecurity on food production as the price of food is already very expensive across the country.
According to her, except the federal government addresses the security issues the focus on agriculture will be futile.
“Benue particularly was the food basket, Jos Plateau was also basically farmlands, Borno produced the best fish and pepper across Nigeria. And because they lost all these, food security has been so badly endangered. Niger state produces a lot of yams, but because of the skirmishes they are not producing as they used to.
“As much as the government says it is focusing on agriculture, if it does not invest in the security and peace in the country; it does not invest in ensuring justice is felt by the poorest people in this country, our food security is endangered.”
FG working to bridge the gap
In a bid to bridge the gap in food and make food readily on the table of Nigerians, the federal government launched the National Young Farmers Scheme on Tuesday in Abuja.
Speaking at the launch of the scheme, President Muhammadu Buhari, said the initiative will drive youth inclusion in driving modern methods of farming.
He assured that the government will provide an enabling environment for full youth participation in the scheme.
As the largest contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the President said “We will do more to expand, modernize and revolutionize our agriculture, which is our most important asset.”
Question mark hangs over agric interventions
Speaking on his Facebook page, social commentator and media practitioner, Sanya Adejokun said all the efforts by the federal government at ensuring food security in Nigeria are based on archaic strategy.
Blueprint checks revealed several interventions by the government through the Central Bank to spur food production. However, many continue to pick holes in the interventions said it has not yielded it’s desired result. They said intention is good but the implementation startegy continues to be faulty.
“Those who occupy our public space are too far from today’s reality. Throwing money at issues may not be the way to solve the problems. We need 21st century thinkers to resolve 21st century problems,” he said.
Commenting on his verified twitter handle, Kassim Abubakar, questioned the President Buhari’s speech at the launch of the National Young Farmers Scheme saying insecurity has significantly affected farming in most parts of the north.
“Be realistic sir, Farming is no longer possible in many parts of the north Bandits have taken over our farms. All that farmers want is to secure their farms not fund or initiatives.”
He added: “Farmers in the North-West geopolitical zone have recounted their ordeals following the increasing rate of banditry and kidnapping, saying bandits have resorted to taxing them before they can have access to their farms.
Corroborating Abubakar’s story, another twitter user said “Bandits are taxing farmers in the north before they harvest. If you can’t pay, they will burn your farm. See, we are in trouble.”