SHETTIMA CALLS FOR CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE, DIGITAL SOLUTIONS TO BOOST FOOD SECURITY 02-03-25
By Sadiq Aminu Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged increased investments in climate-smart agriculture, regenerative farming practices, and digital solutions to enhance food security and resilience in Nigeria.
Speaking at a one-day strategic workshop on agriculture and food security in Abuja, organized by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and the Presidential Food System Coordinating Unit (PFSCU), Shettima emphasized the critical role of the private sector in transforming Nigeria’s agricultural landscape.
The workshop aimed to validate findings from the Agriculture and Food Security Survey, an initiative led by the NBS to generate data-driven insights for policy and program development. It also served as a platform to engage stakeholders—including private sector actors—to refine and align strategic initiatives for strengthening the country’s food systems.
Shettima, represented by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Dr. Aliyu Modibo, highlighted the need for a market-driven approach as the only sustainable pathway to achieving food security.
“A market-driven approach is the only sustainable pathway to achieving food security. We must develop policies that encourage a competitive, private-sector-led agricultural industry, ensuring that farmers and agribusinesses operate in an enabling environment that fosters innovation and growth,” he stated.
The Vice President reiterated the government’s commitment to deploying modern technology to optimize agricultural yields and reduce food waste, urging investment in digital solutions and regenerative agricultural practices to enhance resilience against climate change.
Ambitious Targets for 2025
Presenting the strategic goals for the year, Executive Secretary of the PFSCU, Ms. Marion Moon, outlined key targets, including:
Reducing the number of food-insecure individuals by 10%
Replenishing national food reserves with 200,000 metric tons of stock
Institutionalizing an Early Warning and Crisis Preparedness System
Improving access to high-quality seeds, fingerlings, and breeding stock for five million farmers
Developing 50,000 hectares of irrigation infrastructure
Mobilizing $10 billion in local and foreign investments
Creating or improving 500,000 agribusiness jobs
Moon emphasized the importance of unlocking irrigation infrastructure to enable year-round farming and reducing reliance on seasonal rainfall. She also stressed the need to enhance the availability of high-quality genetic inputs for crops, livestock, and fish to improve productivity and resilience.
Data-Driven Decision-Making and Urgent Reforms
Statistician General and CEO of the NBS, Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, represented by Director Ayodele Babalola, reaffirmed the NBS’s commitment to providing quality, reliable data to guide policymaking for economic prosperity.
Vice Chairman of the NESG, Mr. Bayo Olusanya, represented by Uche Ogbonna, called for urgent action to fix Nigeria’s food systems, warning against the cost of inaction.
“Every delay in fixing our food systems increases the number of malnourished children, the number of farmers trapped in poverty, and the vulnerability of our economy to global food crises. Nigeria cannot afford to be a net importer of food when we have the resources to feed ourselves and the world. Let us seize this moment to chart a new course for our agriculture and food security future,” he said.
A key recommendation from the workshop was strengthening public-private collaboration to advance Nigeria’s food systems, ensuring sustainability and long-term agricultural transformation.