The National council on Agriculture and rural development is advocating for the urgent investment in research and infrastructure development in the rural areas, in order to reduce the rising threats of food insecurity occasioned by climate change, COVID-19 pandemic, and insecurity in the country.
The council at its ongoing 44th national meeting in Abuja, also recommends that the National Assembly should review the country’s land use act in order to make access to land for agricultural purpose available for Agripreneurs.
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Government officials, Agricultural entrepreneurs, farmers and private sectors are in Abuja to brainstorm on how to address the rising threat to food security.
Recalled that the United Nations in it recent cadre harmonised, predicted that there will be an acute food shortage in over 20 countries including Nigeria.
The report also said that 16 northern states and the federal capital territory, will face food and nutritional crisis.
Participants at this meeting believe strongly that investment in Agriculture and rural development can provide a permanent solution to the looming crisis.
Apart from the rising insecurity which has limited inter state trading of food items, clashes between farmers and herders is another major challenge to food security, which some say need to be addressed urgently through a repeal of the land use act.
The price of food items in Nigeria is on the rise, and according to the United Nations, the situation will remain so for a while if nothing else is done to address the root cause.
(Edited by Tunde Orebiyi)
