Insecurity, economic crisis, high transportation costs and rising food prices combined with climate change are reshaping Nigeria’s agricultural landscape.
It is true that the Federal Government is making vibrant and multi-pronged efforts to tackle insecurity and reduce food inflation, but rising food prices continue to put pressure on average Nigerians.
To this end, families are finding innovative solutions and temporary measures to combat rising food prices.
A growing number of Nigerian families are turning to subsistence farming as a way to enjoy food security and affordability.
These families are optimistic that subsistence agriculture, especially home gardens, can provide a primary and regular source of diet and nutrition while reducing dependence on often expensive commercial food products.
Ms. Rose Maiwada, a teacher, and Ms. Blessing Yakubu, a trader, are leading the advocacy for the cultivation of staple foods for personal consumption and community resilience.
“I am a teacher with four children and no husband; When I realized that my salary could no longer support the family due to the increase in the prices of food items, I had to clean the back part of my house where I planted vegetables and some grains.
“I planted potatoes, tomatoes and other basic household items I needed for my personal consumption in the sacks.
“This really helped my family; I no longer spend money on buying some food items and meat because I grow the basic things I need for my consumption, I also have small poultry,” Maiwada said.
Yakubu, on the other hand, said that the increase in food prices prompted him to consider farming.
“As a trader, when people come to the market and you tell them the price of a product, the look on their faces often depresses me; “I wish I could give the items away for free,” he said.
It is worth noting that an NGO called Global Alliances for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) recently empowered at least 1,760 households with home gardening inputs to improve nutrition indices in four LGAs in Kaduna State in support of subsistence agriculture.
Vegetable seeds (Amaranthus and tomato seeds), orange-fleshed sweet potato vines, organic fertilizers and watering cans were provided to 440 beneficiary households.
Mr. Francis Aderibigbe, GAIN, said the initiative was launched as a key part of the Workforce Nutrition Component under the Strengthening Nutrition in Priority Staples Project (SNiPS).
Aderibigbe, who is the Project Coordinator of the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI), the implementing partner of GAIN’s Home Gardens Initiative, said the exercise was designed to provide support to farming households, farmers, agricultural workers and processors in the rice and maize value chains.
He explained that the Workforce Nutrition Component focuses on increasing the consumption of safe, nutritious food by small farmers, their families, and the broader population.
He said the Workforce Nutrition Component promotes consumption of nutrient-rich staple foods, fruits and vegetables for better nutritional intake, especially among farmers, ranchers and their households.
Aderibigbe noted that the Home Gardens Initiative focuses on educating households on the installation and maintenance of home gardens.
He added that this is also about improving access to quality planting materials for home gardens and developing knowledge and technologies on good agricultural practices for home gardens.
“The initiative also aims to improve nutrition education of households on the need to consume nutritious food grown in home gardens,” he said.
In the same vein, Mr. Mustapha Bakano of the National Cassava Growers Association advocates subsistence cassava cultivation as the mainstay of food security.
He said that with strategic partnerships and government support, cassava could alleviate food insecurity and reduce dependence on imported grains.
According to him, cassava is a staple food not only in Nigeria but also in other parts of Africa; so we all need to grow cassava.
“I urge Nigerians to grow cassava; If we all do this it will save us from food insecurity because we can eat it in different ways and export it.
“We are synergizing with the government to ensure these seedlings reach farmers to improve food security.
“If we can focus on this aspect, we will consider integrating cassava flour into wheat in the next few years and this will help us reduce our deficit in wheat imports,” he said.
Moreover, the Executive Director of Evangelical Bible Outreach Ministry International (EBOMI), Prophet Isa Al-buba, said it has become imperative for Nigerians to embrace farming as a profession.
El-buba, who is also the Convener of the Better and Brighter Nigeria Initiative (IBBN), said Nigeria is blessed with arable lands and temperate weather that can grow all kinds of crops.
He said people should take advantage of this and participate in agricultural activities.
Al-buba said such a move would prevent the food crisis in the country, as people produce for both subsistence and commercial purposes.
“Nigerians should embrace farming; Agriculture is the way to go and the government should not be begging us to go into farming.
“No matter how small a piece of land is, cultivate it and you will be amazed at what that small piece of land will produce because we are given quality soil.
“With the current events, the coming days will be difficult and that is why we will be able to avoid food shortages by farming,” he said.
On the other hand, some experts believe that resorting to biotechnological solutions could solve Nigeria’s food crisis.
General Director of the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NUSDA) Prof. Mustapha Abdullahi said the adoption of biotechnology will revolutionize food production and safety.
Abdullahi underlined the transformative potential of biotechnology, envisioning increased crop yields, resistance to pests and diseases, and reduced environmental impact.
“Biotechnology offers a promising path to protect farmers’ livelihoods and ensure national food security.”
In his view, biotechnology is broad, deep and offers solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing our agricultural sector.
“Biotechnology stands as a beacon of hope, a transformative force driving agricultural progress around the world, and farmer associations like yours play a crucial role as the foundation of our agricultural landscape.
“This technology will increase crop yields and improved nutritional content against pests, diseases and adverse environmental conditions; biotechnology offers a range of opportunities to take our agricultural productivity to new heights,” he said.
NBRDA Agricultural Biotechnology Department Director Dr Rose Gidado said improved seed varieties were critical for sustainable agricultural practices.
He said he was hopeful of a future where every Nigerian would contribute to food security by growing staple food crops with ease and keeping environmental impacts to a minimum.
Gidado called on Nigerians to embrace farming to improve food security.
He said the newly developed seedlings are easy to plant and do not require spraying pesticides like conventional seeds.
“If we can all plant a stable crop in a short period of time, Nigeria will be free from hunger,” he said.
Undoubtedly, subsistence farming improves families’ food supplies and helps them make healthy food choices about eating organic foods, but policy analysts are concerned.
Analysts believe that Nigeria, with its vast arable land, has the capacity to produce enough food for local consumption and export.
In their view, no matter how beneficial subsistence farming may be, it should not replace large-scale mechanized and commercial agriculture as it has in other climates.
Written by: Bukola Adewumi, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)