·
Decries Herdsmen/Farmers Crises
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri |
The
Federal Government has assured of its total commitment to the zero hunger goals
by the year 2030 and has promised to increase the present tempo of strong
agricultural activities in the country to attain this national objective. The
Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri
gave the commitment recently in Abuja.
This
was contained in a press release issued on behalf of Director of Information of
the ministry by Mrs. Kemi Ogunmakinwa and made available to FoodFarmNews.
Senator
Lokpobiri who reportedly spoke at a symposium to mark the 2018 World Food Day
Celebration with the theme: "Our Actions are Our Future: A Zero Hunger
World by 2030 is Possible," said that the goal of zero hunger by 2030 was
achievable and that “in the next 12 years, Nigeria will join the League of
Nations who would be able to feed the world” but noted that this projection could
only be attained if all Nigerians see and treat Agriculture as serious business
rather than mere occupation.
The
Minister also wanted Nigeria to take advantage of its rapidly growing
population to seriously invest in agriculture with the private sector taking
the lead in this national project; while the Government provides the enabling
environment since it is proven that Government is not proficient in business
management.
He
also challenged all state governments in the country to commit at least five
percent of their annual budgets to agriculture, to demonstrate their collective
determination to grow agriculture and upscale our national productivity.
The
Minister who was full of praises for Kebbi, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Ogun, Benue states
etc., for their huge investments in agriculture urged other states of the
federation to emulate the worthy examples of these states, saying the goal of
achieving the objective of attaining zero hunger for our beloved country could
only be achieved through collaboration and collective efforts of the three arms
of government and the private sector.
According
to the minister, if Nigeria is able to feed itself, it would have been able to
solve the issue of hunger and malnutrition in the black race and by extension
Africa, which is, "a bold step in guaranteeing food for all in the
world."
While
observing that the world has made remarkable progress in the fight against
hunger, a development that has led to decline in the number of the poor and the
hungry people in the world, he however regretted that this success is being
threatened by high growth in global population.
Lokpobiri also expressed great
concerns on threats militating against the country's quest to achieve self
sufficiency in food production, because of the current crises between herdsmen
and farmers in some northern parts of the country.
"Prolonged
crisis in some crises points especially incessant clashes between herdsmen and
farmers especially in the North Eastern part of the country are also serious
issues of concern," the minister said.
The
Country Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in
Nigeria, Suffyan Koroma stated that the organisation, for the past 40 years in
Nigeria has been working closely with the Government of Nigeria to advance
sustainable agriculture and food systems, with great optimism towards achieving
Zero Hunger in the country.
He
said achieving Zero Hunger was FAO’s shared commitment, which could be achieved
through a right based approach and appreciated the continued commitment of the Government
of Nigeria in forging strong partnerships for nourishing, nurturing and growing
a prosperous and peaceful Nigeria where all Nigerians can thrive and contribute
to nation’s socio-economic development.
He
said at least 1.5 billion people suffer from micronutrient deficiencies that
undermine their health and lives.
Mr.
Koroma said the world does not only have to worry about Malnutrition but also
increasing cases of obesity in adult which needs to be looked into.
“However,
the growing rate of undernourished people is not the only big challenge we are
facing. Other forms of malnutrition have also increased. In 2017, at least 1.5
billion people suffered from micronutrient deficiencies that undermine their
health and lives. At the same time, the proportion of adult obesity continues
to rise from 11.7 percent in 2012 to 13.3 percent in 2016. Hunger is mainly
circumscribed to specific areas, namely those ravaged by conflicts, droughts
and extreme poverty. If we do not call for urgent actions to halt the increasing
obesity rates, we soon may have more obese than undernourished people in the
World,” he said.
The rest of the statement reads: For Nigeria, this
call-to-action is for everyone – governments, the private sector, NGOs, the
public – to do their part to turn the vision into a reality.
The Zero Hunger Challenge promotes integrated approaches that respond
to the multiple, interconnected causes of hunger and malnutrition. The
comprehensiveness of the approach reflects the need to transform agriculture and
food systems to deliver improved nutrition and sustainable and resilient rural
communities. There are five key elements in the ZHC vision which include:
·
Zero stunted children less than 2
years
·
100% access to adequate food all
year round
·
All food systems are sustainable
·
100% increase in smallholder
productivity and income
·
Zero loss or waste of food
For
Nigeria, the Zero Hunger vision should symbolize a nation that is free from
hunger, malnutrition and rural poverty, achieved through an integrated approach
and the transformation of food systems, which is fully aligned with the 2030
Agenda and which sets out the goals and targets that we must achieve to make
this vision a reality. Such targets are categorized as follows:
i.
End hunger and ensure access to food by all people
ii.
End all forms of malnutrition
iii.
Double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food
producers
iv.
Ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient
agricultural practices
v.
Maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants, and farmed
and domesticated animals and their related wild species.
Government
has the most fundamental role in achieving Zero Hunger by ensuring that
vulnerable people have sufficient income to buy the food they need, or the
means to produce it for themselves – even in times of conflict. This however
does not exclude the important role of the private sector, civil society,
farmers and us as individuals.
The
mission of this year’s World Food Day is to ensure the Zero Hunger Challenge in
Nigeria bring together all stakeholders to communicate the importance of food
security, nutrition and inclusive, sustainable and resilient agriculture. This
year’s World Food Day Theme therefore reminds us of our continued commitment
for tackling hunger and eradicating it in our lifetime. We continue to create
awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and ensure food security
and nutritious diets for all as a fundamental human right. Every individual is
called upon to buy only what he or she needs, store food wisely, love food
leftovers, donate foods that would otherwise be wasted and know where every
food comes from and put waste foods to use.
The
World Food Day is celebrated each year on 16th of October in commemoration of
the establishment of the United Nations Organization in 1945. Events are
organized in over 150 countries across the world, to attract global attention
and promote awareness as well as marshal action plans internationally to ensure
food security and nutritious diets for all making it one of the most celebrated
days of the UN calendar.
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