- World Food Day is celebrated every October 16 with a view to finding lasting solution to food insecurity
- Nigeria Celebrates World Food Day 2024 with worsening food crisis
- Experts list causes, solutions to the food insecurity in the African countries
World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year worldwide on October 16 to commemorate the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) in 1945. The day is celebrated widely by many other organizations concerned with hunger and food security, including the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Findings by our reporter showed that WFP received the Nobel Prize in Peace for 2020 for their efforts to combat hunger, contribute to peace in conflict areas, and for playing a leading role in stopping the use of hunger in the form of a weapon for war and conflict
World Food Day (WFD) was established by FAO’s Member Countries at the Organization’s 20th General Conference in November 1979.
Checks by WITHIN NIGERIA equally showed that The Hungarian Delegation, led by the former Hungarian Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Pál Romány, played an active role at the 20th Session of the FAO Conference and suggested the idea of celebrating the WFD worldwide. It has since been observed every year in more than 150 countries, raising awareness of the issues behind poverty and hunger.
Since 1981, World Food Day has adopted a different theme each year in order to highlight areas needed for action and provide a common focus. FAO issued World Food Day medals each year to commemorate and promote the anniversary.
Most of the themes revolve around agriculture because only investment in agriculture – together with support for education and health – will turn this situation around. The bulk of that investment will have to come from the private sector, with public investment playing a crucial role, especially in view of its facilitating and stimulating effect on private investment.
In spite of the importance of agriculture as the driving force in the economies of many developing countries, this vital sector is frequently starved of investment. In particular, foreign aid to agriculture has shown marked declines over the past 20 years.
However, this year’s World Food Day theme is “Right to foods for a better life and a better future”.
Nevertheless, according to World Food Programme, WFP, “this year’s theme spotlights the importance of diversity, nutrition, affordability, accessibility as well as the safety and sustainability of foods, raising awareness about how a greater diversity of nutritious foods should be available in our fields, fishing nets, markets, and on our tables, for the benefit of all.”
WFP further states that “today, hunger is often worsened by frequent weather changes, economic downturns and conflicts. World Food Day 2024 looks at solutions to ensure that all people have enough adequate and regular access to diverse, safe, nutritious food, leaving no one behind.”
World Bank Release on Food Security in Nigeria
The World Bank’s recent Food Security Update Report sounds the alarm on Nigeria’s escalating food crisis, with an additional one million people plunged into severe food insecurity in 2024.
According to World Bank, this alarming increase places Nigeria alongside Ethiopia and Yemen as countries facing significant escalations in food security challenges.
WITHIN NIGERIA findings showed that the report highlights the dire situation of Nigeria, where a complex interplay of factors has contributed to the growing crisis. Climate-induced issues, coupled with socio-political instability in various regions, have exacerbated the country’s food security woes.
The report indicated that Nigeria, alongside Ethiopia and Yemen, witnessed a significant rise in the number of people facing acute food shortages.
“Conversely, some countries saw improvements. Nations such as Afghanistan, Guatemala, and Kenya reported declines in food insecurity, with more than one million fewer people facing acute food crises, although these countries remained in significant food crisis situations.
“On the other hand, 18 countries experienced worsening situations due to factors including intensified conflict and climate-related shocks, such as droughts. Notable examples include Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Yemen, each witnessing an increase of more than one million people facing high levels of food insecurity from the previous year”, according to the report.
The report attributed Nigeria’s growing crisis to a mix of climate-induced issues and socio-political instability in various regions.
It noted, “In Nigeria, an estimated 1.6 million hectares of land have been inundated, including 342,650 hectares of cropland, affecting 685,770 vulnerable individuals. In Mali, 344,000 people were affected and 1.6 million hectares of land flooded, including nearly 500,000 hectares of cultivated land.
“Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Togo have also faced flooding, and northern and northeastern Nigeria and Ghana are experiencing dry spells, with adverse effects on crop production and thus food insecurity.
“In total, floods and droughts have affected approximately 3.5 million people, who require emergency support. It is estimated that $50m is needed to help 760,200 communities meet their basic food needs.”
Data from the report further showed that domestic food price inflation in Nigeria remained among the highest globally, with food prices increasing by 37.5% year-on-year as of August 2024.
The surge in prices had put a strain on household incomes, making it increasingly difficult for low-income families to afford basic food items.
The report called for urgent intervention to address the immediate food needs of affected populations while also focusing on long-term solutions to improve resilience against climate shocks.
The impact of environmental factors on Nigeria’s agricultural sector has been particularly devastating.
This extensive flooding has not only destroyed crops but also displaced communities, further straining the country’s food production capabilities.
While some nations like Afghanistan, Guatemala, and Kenya have seen improvements in their food security situations, Nigeria’s crisis continues to deepen.
The report attributes this to a combination of factors, including “intensified conflict and climate-related shocks, such as droughts.”
How Climate change and conflict fuel food insecurity in Nigeria
There no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria relies heavily on agriculture, with approximately two-thirds of its labour force dependent on farming or herding to make a living. Since both activities rely heavily on weather patterns like rainfall, Nigeria’s agriculture industry is very susceptible to the effects of climate change.
It is also worthy of note that Nigeria is one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and natural hazards. It has experienced a variety of climate disasters, including rising temperatures, gully erosion, drought and increased flooding.
For instance, in 2022, Nigeria was hit by devastating floods that killed more than 500 people, displaced more than 1.4 million and destroyed about 90,000 homes. Analysis from the World Weather Attribution group found that climate change was likely responsible for the heavy rains that caused the flooding.
Also in September 2024, flood hit the Maiduguri, the Borno state capital and rendered thousands of hectares of crops useless.
The floods destroyed thousands of hectares of farmland, worsening the already severe food insecurity in the country. Crops were destroyed and the floods cost the agricultural sector about billions of naira in damages.
In addition, the arid regions of the northwest and northeastern parts of Nigeria are currently facing substantial challenges from drought and land degradation. Both issues have a significant impact on food security, as they result in less water being available for crops.
Violence fueling food crisis
Compounding the climate change crisis is the rise in violence orchestrated by armed groups like the Boko Haram extremist group.
Violence, armed banditry and kidnappings have affected food access across Nigeria. This violence has affected northern Nigeria in particular, where the bulk of food production occurs and 8.4 million are currently food insecure.
Boko Haram terrorists, bandits and armed herders have forced at least 78,000 farmers to abandon their farmland in Borno, Katsina, Taraba, Plateau and other northern states.
More than 2,000 Benue farmers have been displaced, according to the chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria, disrupting farming activities in the affected regions.
Farmer-herder conflict
The Boko Haram insurgency is also a contributing factor in the farmer-herder conflict in the Middle Belt region, a key crop-producing area of Nigeria.
The insurgency, along with land and water scarcity, has forced nomadic herders from the north to migrate south in search of grazing lands and water for their livestock. As a result, the herders have clashed violently with local farmers over resources.
Although ethnicity and religion play a role in the conflict — many of the herders are Fulani Muslims while the farmers are Christian and from other ethnic groups — climate change is exacerbating it. Increasing temperatures and unpredictable rainfall patterns have intensified the resource competition between the two groups, leading to more disputes.
Herders have allegedly destroyed the crops of farmers and chased some of them off their land.
Over the past eight years, an estimated 6,000 Benue people have been killed and two million farmers have been displaced. The violence has largely disrupted the food supply chains between northern and southern Nigeria, as many roads are too unsafe for farmers to transport their crops.
Addressing the crisis
Nigeria is currently at a crossroads. Without taking immediate action, the number of Nigerians who are food insecure will continue to increase.
More than 5.9 million children in northwest and northeast Nigeria experienced acute malnutrition between May 2022 and April 2023. More than 1.6 million of these children suffered from severe acute malnutrition.
The government has recently made announcements regarding these issues. In May, Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s president, pledged to implement “best modern practices” to address the conflicts between farmers and herdsmen in the country.
These modern practices include building agricultural hubs to enhance productivity, guaranteeing minimal prices for certain crops and animal products, and creating storage facilities to reduce food waste.
The government should adopt a multi-faceted approach to address the food insecurity crisis. This kind of approach would integrate climate action, modern livestock and farming techniques, and security measures to mitigate the impacts climate change and violent conflict are having on Nigeria’s food insecurity.