Farmers endorse genetically seeds, frown at unaccesible support

The Nigerian farmers have indicated their intentions to embrace the planting of genetically modified seeds for its potential to give more increased production based on the resistance characteristics to pest/disease, drought and floods.

Delayed funding for 2024 Agric impact farming, South West faces famine

There is a great indication that the year 2025 may be faced with another food shortage as the funding to prevent such has been delayed by the Federal Government ( FG) just as South West states May face serious famine due to neglect of the sector.

Agro-Dealers defend, say we didn't create farmers' list

The National President, Agro-dealers Association, Alhaji Kabiru Fara has disabused the wrong accusations of round tripping being alleged his members against farmers during the 2023 dry season farming, saying they operated based on the directives given by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security ( FMAFS), just as he emphasized that the program was 85% successful.

August protest : Reactions trail President's speech on Agriculture

 

Some Nigerians have expressed their disappointment on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ( BAT)'s speech particularly with the aspect that dealt with food security, describing it as passive to the reality facing food agricultural development.

Livestock: Checkmate cattle routes not ministry creation, experts advice FG

 The experts in the Livestock sub sector of Agriculture have advised Federal Government (FG) against the creation of any other ministry saying the cattle routes should be rather properly manned to avoid clashes.

FG fires Agric Land boss, appoints Engr. Cornelius Adebayo

Engr. Cornelius Oluwaseun Adebayo.                            

The Federal Government (FG) has sacked the Executive Secretary ( ES), National Agricutural Land Development Authority ( NALDA) Mr. Paul Ikonne with immediate replacement by Engr. Cornelius Oluwaseun Adebayo.

Cassava Growers, Abuja University partner on 1,000 hectares

 Cassava Growers, Abuja University partner on 1,000 hectares 

An Agric partnership deal last Monday was struck between the National Cassava Growers Association ( NCGA) and management, University of Abuja to cultivate 1000 hectares of improved cassava crop using students for commercial production to enhance economic earnings and food security.  

FG promises to enhance soil health, fertility

 * Scientists lament

 The Federal Government ( FG) has reiterated its commitment to achieve soil healthiness and fertility towards a better food nutrition and security in the country, just as scientists expressed disatisfaction on its management.

Global leaders brainstorming in Rwanda on African food security

World leaders and partners in agricultural productivity have yesterday started a conference to address salient challenges confronting food system commercialization and sustainability in Africa.

Editorial - Poor Research funding makes food security vulnerable

The climate change challenges is taking tolls on food security even at the point that no amount has been released to any research institute to perform its statutory capital project responsibilities as the year cross over the middle of the 2024.

How do we relate this to the state of emergency being declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the sector. How can research delivery be helpful to food security when the necessary funding are not timely released. These are the questions on going in the minds of concerned stakeholders.

Apart from much expectations on repositioning the methods and styles of policies implementation of the sector, more expectations on research development is highly envisaged in this present dispensation for smarter climate change agriculture in view of scarcity of foods in Nigeria. 

But all these are all in doubt even as no dime has been released to any Agricutural research institute to justify the seriousness of Government to tackling food security in the country through more availability of new research improvement into farming systems.

Six months have already been counted with no fund being released to enhance research, neither is any concrete direction through the National Agricultural Council Meeting where the decisions to chart direction for the sector is been taken.

Our concern particularly on this editorial is why are we repeating the same mistake of untimely funding to research particularly on matters that relate to food security.

The impact of climate on food security has necessitated the need for research institutes to double their efforts towards drought and floods resistant seed varieties with ecologies adaptability so as to be able to give high yielding crop varieties even in the face of shorter and longer rainy periods as the case may be.

All these will be wishful thinking without a proactive finding system to research and extension, because the present situation where money to operate in our agriculture research institute is a signal to unpreparedness to checkmate food insecurity.

And this must be uppermost in the heart of any Government to help the growth of the food systems in Nigeria.