•Lagos govt to launch N500bn agric initiative to end food shortage
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has raised alarm over worsening food insecurity in conflict-affected areas of northeast Nigeria, where more than 3.7 million people are currently struggling to access enough food.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Aliyu Dawobe, Public Relations Officer of the ICRC, made this known in a statement issued Monday in Abuja.
He explained that many of those affected were formerly farmers who had provided for their communities but were displaced due to years of conflict.
The statement noted that violence had forced families from their homes, restricted access to farmland, and disrupted local food production systems.
Diana Japaridze, Head of the ICRC office in Maiduguri, described the growing pressure on households as the lean season began and food stocks dwindled.
“This is the period when families must begin buying food, but many conflict-affected households simply can’t afford it.
“They’re forced to drastically limit their intake,” she said.
She added that food insecurity was also fueling rising rates of malnutrition, particularly among children under five, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women.
“In response, the ICRC is supporting malnutrition stabilisation centres and offering community education programmes to help families care for vulnerable children.
“To tackle the root causes of food insecurity and support long-term resilience, the ICRC has launched an agricultural assistance programme.
“The initiative supports both rainy and dry season farming and targets thousands of farming households.
“This year alone, more than 21,000 farming households have received seeds adapted to local conditions, along with planting tools to ease labour and improve efficiency,” she explained.
She said that the support included a mix of field crops and vegetables such as rice, maize, tomato, and okra, all aimed at increasing dietary diversity and nutritional value.
“Farmers are also being trained in sustainable farming practices to ensure continuity beyond ICRC’s intervention.
“At a systemic level, and in collaboration with the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), we recently repaired a vital water source to ensure continuous access for the council’s seed testing and greenhouse facilities,” she added.
In spite of these efforts, Japaridze warned that the lean season remained a critical challenge for many farmers who still could not produce enough to feed their families.
Community voices emphasised the urgency on the ground. Modu Umar, a community leader in Dikwa, said: “Right now, we face severe food shortages.”
“Some families walk long distances daily just to collect and sell firewood to afford food. Farming is the only real solution.”
Churi Ibrahim, a 70-year-old farmer from Gajibo, highlighted the ongoing security risks.
“Some people trek three hours just to reach their farms. By the time you get there, you’re exhausted, and returning home takes even longer,” he said.
In spite of the fear and hardship, local farmers remained determined.
“Even when they’re afraid, they still go,” said Bintu Konto, a mother of five.
“If we don’t farm during the rainy season, we’ll have nothing to eat.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government is set to launch N500billion agricultural initiative, tagged: “Produce for Lagos” Programme, aimed at addressing food availability, production and distribution at a reasonable price.
The State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food System, Ms Abisola Olusanya, made this known on Monday at a press briefing which took place in Ikeja, saying that the essence of the initiative, which will be launched on Wednesday, was to ensure food products were available, and through partnership with other states that have arable lands as well with the private sector.
“On Wednesday we will launch the produce for Lagos optical guarantee fund, as well as the initiative, which is largely a collaboration between the Lagos State Government under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the private sector.
“It is indeed possible to have a reorganized food system in Nigeria, and leading market to production is a crucial beat that has been missing for so long.
“All of the interventions of most states and the Federal Government were usually tailored towards production, but the marketing end of it, and the distribution and logistics are always left a bit wanting,
“We want to minimise post-harvest losses, we want to ensure that with post-harvest loss reduction, we will see a drop in food inflation, we will see a drop in health challenges, so it will be better for you and me,” Olusanya stated.
The commissioner said the programme was to ensure self-sufficient food products for Lagos residents and also ensure availability for export to other states of the federation, noting that Lagos needed a bigger pie to be able to fulfill such projection.
“To produce in Lagos, we are pushing to ensure that at least 40 percent of what we need comes from within, but we need a bigger pie to be able to fulfill the needs of our people, that is why the “Produce for Lagos” programme, which now focuses on upcountry partnership, which is crucial.
“We need access to more lands to be able to grow food for our people and we know that there are routes, there are farms, there are businesses in other states in Nigeria that are doing this on large commercial scale and so, that partnership is crucial to our survival and their survival as well,” the commissioner said.
“Take, for example, Niger State, that has large land mass in Nigeria and has arable fertile soil, take states like Taraba and other states like that. This partnership between states will be of necessity for us to ensure we continue to have continuous food supply without interruption.
“What happened during Covid-19 was how a tiny disruption can create chaos, we don’t want that to happen to our people and our future. We feel collaboration, end-to-end, is critical for us and for all,” she added.
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