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Thursday 26 February 2015

INVESTMENT IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND IMPACT ON FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SECURITY IN NIGERIA. Paper Presented at the 2014 National Agricultural Show Seminar, By Prof. B. Y. Abubakar, OFR Executive Secretary, ARCN.



INTRODUCTION: 
 
Sustainable agricultural growth requires greater emphasis on productivity growth in view of declining cultivable areas:
Application of innovative techniques for agricultural production is a fundamental and crucial step in improving livelihoods in most societies. There is generally a strong correlation between increased agricultural research investment and agricultural productivity.  Our priority - Ensure that research makes the greatest possible contribution to raising human welfare using the limited available resources while attracting more investments.
This presentation examines investments in agricultural research and its impact on food security in Nigeria. 

                     WHY INVEST IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH?
Poor funding of research leads to inability to deliver improved agricultural technologies, achieve increased productivity and other related benefits. There is a high rate of return to society on investments in agricultural research. For example, for every US dollar spent on agricultural research in 2010 in Brazil, US$9.35 accrued to the society.

             SOURCES OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FUNDING IN NIGERIA
Primary source of funding is the Federal Government as Private sector investments are negligible , Capital Budget releases are usually incomplete (about 50% of approved ) and often out of tune with research work plans . 

                    AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SPENDING TREND IN NIGERIA
Investment in agricultural research doubled between 2000 & 2008 owing to high personnel cost and increased capital allocation. However, allocations demonstrated a high level of fluctuation and instability (Figure 1) 


Figure 1: Nominal Capital budgetary allocation to NARIs (2000-2014)
Note: 2009 figure includes ₦1B released under CARGS, while 2012, 2013 and 2014 includes R&D allocations of ₦2.25B, ₦2.71B and 0.70B, under the ATA in Ministry’s.

         AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SPENDING TREND IN NIGERIA                                     
Figure 2: Distribution of 2014 budgetary allocations to agricultural research in Nigeria 
Source: Abubakar (2014)

      AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SPENDING TREND IN NIGERIA
The national expenditure in major imports by far outweighs agricultural research investments in Nigeria. For example, 1 week rice import = 2010 Capital allocation to NARIs (6.9 Billion)
Figure 3: Comparison between Research and Infrastructural allocations by NARIs (2005-2009)
Source: Malomo (2013)
                
PERFORMANCE OF NIGERIA IN FOOD SECURITY
Nigeria has made significant progress in food security status (Figures 4-6) and that explains why the country achieved MDG 1 about 2 years ahead of the target date.

                                        Figure 4: Trend of Global Hunger Index for Nigeria
   
                 PERFORMANCE OF NIGERIA IN FOOD SECURITY
Figure 5: Prevalence of food inadequacy in Nigeria (1990 – 2012) 
 Prevalence of food inadequacy reduced by about 67% between 1990 and 2010 

                 PERFORMANCE OF NIGERIA IN FOOD SECURITY

Figure 6: Number of undernourished people in Nigeria
Table 1: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INVESTMENT IN AGRICULTURAL 

RESEARCH AND FOOD SECURITY INDICATORS IN NIGERIA.
Class of food security indicator
Food security indicator
 Correlation 
Food availability
Average dietary energy supply adequacy
HP
Share of dietary energy supply derived from cereals and roots
HP
Average supply of protein (gr/cap/day)
HP
Average supply of protein of animal origin
HP
Average value of food production
LP
Food accessibility
Depth of food deficit
HN
Prevalence of food inadequacy
HN
Prevalence of undernourishment
HN
Food stability
Domestic food price volatility index
HN
Cereal import dependency ratio
LN
Per capita food supply variability
MN
Note: HP = High +; LP = Low +; MP = Medium +;
Improved investment in agricultural research will lead to better availability and access to food as well as reducing vulnerability to food insecurity in Nigeria.  

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH TECHNOLOGIES AND IMPACT ON FOOD SECURITY.
A study commissioned by ARCN showed that over 170 agricultural technologies were developed by the NARIs from 1997 – 2008 (ARCN, 2010).
Over 50 technologies have been developed by NARIs, universities and other stakeholders under CARGS in the course of implementation of the scheme.  In 2008 – 2009, ARCN also commissioned a series of impact assessment studies of technologies developed by the NARIs to measure benefits to end-users. The studies revealed that agricultural technologies in Nigeria had positive social and economic impacts on adopters and other end-users.

Annual mean monetary gain to society ranged from low for early bearing cocoa variety to high for six rice varieties studied (Table 2).
Adopters of many of the technologies were found to be more food secured than non-adopters. Both expenditure and income-base poverty gap indices indicated worsening poverty towards non-adopters. Other social gains abound.

NARI
Commodity
Technology
Year of Release
 Monetary gain to society
CRIN
Cocoa
Early bearing variety (precocity)
2004
Low
NRCRI*
Cassava
TMS 30572
NR 8082
1990
1998
Moderate
NCRI**
Rice
FARO 44, 46 & 52
FARO 48 & 51
FARO 55
1992
2001
2003
High
IAR***
Maize
SAMAZ-11
2000
Moderate
LCRI
Millet
LCIC-MV-1
2000
Moderate
NAPRI
Chicken
ShikaBrown Layer
2000
High
Note: *Developed by IITA, Ibadan and NRCRI, Umudike; **Developed by IITA, IRRI, AfricaRice and adapted by NCRI; ***Developed by IAR, Zaria and IITA, Ibadan
Source:  Phillips et al. (2009, 2010) 

                                  WAY FORWARD
*Massive and sustained public and private investments in R&D are required in order for agriculture to benefit from developed technologies.
*Need to target technologies that enhance improving efficiency of farmers’ use of agricultural inputs.
*Need to separate research funds from capital budget to ensure timely releases and increased research outputs.
*Need for greater focus on adding value to outputs from primary production through processing.
*Improve research-extension linkages towards enhancing the social benefits derivable from agricultural research investments. 

                                                    CONCLUSION
*Improving agricultural research investment would result in better food security status in Nigeria.
*Owing to the time lag between investment and research output, there is need for sustainable improved resources mobilization for agricultural research operations in Nigeria.
*Hence, the justification to reform and restructure the research system to be more responsive to the needs of end-users.

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