Insecurity threatening food and nutrition security in Nigeria: Expert

*The Federal Government needs to resolve the current security challenges to attain the thrust of the country’s agricultural renaissance in diversifying its economy, and making agriculture the hub of economic growth

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

The current efforts of the Federal Government at repositioning the agricultural sector of the economy to boost productive capacity and make it competitive could only be successful in a safe environment.

Mr. Taiye Sasona, a seasoned farmer and Executive Secretary, Abundance of Hope Initiatives, who stated this Thursday, April 29 in Abuja, FCT, called for concerted efforts towards addressing the challenges of insecurity confronting the country, says agency report.

Sasona said that food security would be impossible if the widespread insecurity in farming communities across the country was not resolved.

Efforts made by the Federal Government to reposition the agricultural sector to boost productive capacity and make it competitive could only be successful in a safe environment, said the farmer.

According to him, the thrust of Nigeria’s agricultural renaissance is to diversify its economy by making agriculture the hub of economic growth while achieving a hunger-free country.

He stated: “But the insecurity is causing a serious disruption in agricultural activities in the country.

“While millions of farmers have been displaced from their ancestral farming communities, others are perpetually afraid for their lives, as such cannot optimally engage in farming activities.”

Sasona also noted: “The direct implication is declining productivity with attendant shortfalls as we can see in the increase in the cost of food items.

“What the Federal Government must do to succeed in its plan to reposition the agricultural sector is to urgently deal with the insecurity that characterises the farming community.”