Post-harvest losses, weak policies stall Nigeria’s agriculture, says UN

Low crop yields, post-harvest losses, food safety concerns, and weak implementation of relevant policies, among others, are stagnating agriculture production in Nigeria, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation said on Wednesday.

It said this was part of findings contained in the latest Nigeria Food System Assessment Profile that was conducted in 2022, which was a joint initiative launched by the European Union, FAO, French Research Centre for Agricultural Development, in collaboration with the government of Nigeria.

The UN agency said Nigeria’s population was estimated to hit 400 million by 2050, but noted that large food deficits remained a cardinal challenge to the food system.

It, however, stated that Nigeria had the potential to feed its growing population into the coming decades, adding that this food self-sufficiency could be attained through production technologies and entrenching sustainable and inclusive food systems in the structure, governance and administration.

“This is highlighted in the recently released Nigeria Food System Assessment Profile conducted in 2022, where gaps such as low yields, post-harvest losses, food safety concerns and climate change impacts, coupled with weak implementation of relevant policies and legislation, all combine to stagnate the predominantly rain-fed agriculture production,” it stated.

It said in a statement, issued in Abuja on Wednesday, that the purpose of the assessment was to identify key constraints and entry points for understanding the bottlenecks to sustainable food systems.

It said the assessment report was to also propose innovative policy and investment solutions to make food systems more sustainable and inclusive.

Commenting on the report, the FAO Country Representative in Nigeria and to the Economic Community of West African States, Fred Kafeero, highlighted four key challenges hindering the country from transitioning towards a desirable sustainable food system.

He was quoted as saying, “These include food system vulnerability to internal and global shocks; underdeveloped agrifood value chains; food system vulnerability to climate change and natural resource degradation; and poor diet quality and high prevalence of food and nutrition insecurity.”

The agency further stated that the current food systems were unable to fulfil their purpose of providing nutritious and healthy food for all and contributing to enhanced livelihood opportunities in an environmentally sustainable way.

“They are being challenged by several factors, including changing diets, technology, urbanisation and climate change.

“There may be enough food to feed everyone – preventing the dual health burdens of malnutrition and obesity. However, the economic and territorial imbalances are such that food systems do not generate fair economic returns for all actors,” it stated.

These imbalances, according to the FAO, was particularly for small-scale producers, triggering an endless cycle of precariousness and poverty.

It said, “Current food systems need to be transformed if we are to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. Using a holistic approach, the assessment gathered a wide range of food system actors in Nigeria through a consultation process.

“They shared views on key issues and challenges and analysed potential solutions.

“The results of this consultation process are presented in the country profile just published. It will serve as a basis for prioritising interventions in key areas of the food system.”