Nigerian gov’t unveils new macro-strategy to tackle food insecurity

The federal government has announced the commencement of a multi-dimensional agricultural drive, tagged the “Back to the Farm” initiative, as part of broader efforts to address persistent food insecurity across the country.

Vice President Kashim Shettima disclosed this on Thursday while speaking on a panel titled “When Food Becomes Security” at the Congress Centre during the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

The disclosure was contained in a statement issued by Stanley Nkwocha, a senior special assistant to the President on Media and Communications at the Office of the Vice President.

Mr Shettima said the “Back to the Farm” initiative is designed to curb inflation, reduce foreign exchange spending on food imports, insulate Nigeria from global shocks, and restore productivity in the country’s key food basket regions.

During the discussion, the Vice President said Nigeria no longer views food security through a narrow agricultural lens, but as a core macroeconomic, security, and governance issue.

“In Nigeria, we don’t look at food security purely as an agricultural issue. It is a macroeconomic, security and governance issue. Our focus is to use food security as a pillar for national security, regional cohesion and stability,” the statement quoted the Vice President as saying.

Nigeria’s food insecurity crisis

In recent years, Nigeria has been grappling with a severe cost-of-living crisis, largely triggered by President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, particularly the removal of petrol subsidies and the floating of the naira.

These measures have led to sharp increases in prices, with food inflation reaching alarming levels before a gradual decline following the rebasing of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) early last year.

The crisis has sparked nationwide hunger protests, with many Nigerians expressing frustration over the government’s handling of the economy. Despite intervention measures such as an increased minimum wage and food subsidies, the impact has been limited, as food prices remain high amid a steep decline in citizens’ purchasing power.

The situation has been described as dire, with many families struggling to afford necessities. Fatal stampedes were also recorded during relief food distributions in several parts of the country during the 2024 festive season.

Beyond weak policy implementation, food system experts have repeatedly identified climate change, poor post-harvest handling, inadequate storage and transportation infrastructure, and weak market regulation as major drivers of the food insecurity crisis.

In a fresh warning on Thursday, the United Nations, through its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria, said about 35 million Nigerians are at risk of acute hunger this year.

This is not the first time the Vice President has unveiled strategies aimed at addressing Nigeria’s food insecurity challenges. Yet, the impact of these initiatives is largely negligible.

In October 2024, Mr Shettima announced the framework for a comprehensive national nutrition programme, the “Nutrition 774 Initiative,” aimed at improving nutritional outcomes across all 774 local government areas in the country.

“Nutrition 774 Initiative is an assurance to all Nigerians—young and old, single and married, from North to South. It assures us that balancing the diets of our nation is not just an aspiration but a mission we must pursue with purpose and passion,” he said at the time.

In his statement Thursday, Mr Shettima explained that the programme is designed to resettle displaced farmers by providing agricultural inputs, insurance, and access to capital to restart food production.

Strategy

Mr Shettima said Nigeria’s food security strategy is anchored on three pillars: increased food production, environmental sustainability, and deeper regional integration within the West African sub-region.

He said changing global trends and supply chain disruptions have forced Nigeria to look inward and rebuild its agricultural base by developing resilient food systems tailored to its diverse ecological zones.

“Nigeria is a very large country, and there is an incestuous relationship between economy and ecology. In the Sahelian North, we are dealing with desertification, deforestation and drought. In the riverine South and parts of the North Central, flooding is our major challenge,” the statement said.

To tackle these challenges, the Vice President said the government is promoting drought-resistant, flood-tolerant, and early-maturing varieties of staple crops such as rice, sorghum, and millet, while redesigning food systems in flood-prone southern regions to withstand climate shocks.

Security, he added, remains a major constraint, especially as many conflict-affected areas also serve as Nigeria’s primary food-producing zones.

“Most of the food baskets of our nation are security-challenged. That is why we are creating food security corridors and strengthening community-based security engagements so farmers can return safely to their land.”

Concerns and optimism

Addressing Nigeria’s macroeconomic vulnerabilities, Mr Shettima identified import dependence and foreign exchange volatility as key drivers of food inflation.

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“We largely import wheat, sugar and dairy products, and this has a direct impact on inflation. Our strategy is to accelerate local production and promote substitutes such as sorghum, millet and cassava flour to correct these structural imbalances,” he said.

The Vice President said the government’s approach aligns food security with national stability, inflation control, and regional cooperation, positioning agriculture as a frontline response to both economic and security challenges.

He further said Nigeria, often described as Africa’s giant, has “woken up from its slumber” under President Tinubu, adding that the government is working to make “it possible for smallholders and fishers to become investable at scale” within 12 months.

Mr Shettima also noted that intra-African trade has become increasingly necessary in light of global economic shifts, saying, “There have been some alignments.”

He urged African leaders to intensify collaboration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework to strengthen internal capacity across the continent.

Mr Shettima expressed optimism that the Renewed Hope Agenda reforms would, in the coming months, translate climate adaptation efforts from pilot stages into reality and significantly boost intra-African trade beyond the current 10.7 per cent.