Post by Ismail AbdulAzeez on Jul 10, 2011 6:48:00 GMT 1
The 2010 MDG report states that the proportion of the Nigerian population living below the hunger threshold increased from 29% to 33% between 2000 and 2009, implying little prospect of achieving the 2015 target of 14.5%. The source of this data is unclear.
Whilst acknowledging that the average family spends over 60% of household income on food, the MDG report plays down the impact of the 2007/08 food crisis, claiming that food inflation in Nigeria remained below 20%. Other reports suggest that the price of rice doubled during this crisis period.
A more accurate picture exists for the other MDG measure of hunger – the incidence of children under age five who are underweight. In a formal Demographic and Health Survey conducted in the second half of 2008, the key indicator is 23.1%, down from 35.7% in 1990. This suggests a rate of progress in line with the Goals.
However, UNICEF says that most of these seven million underweight children are located in just six states in north-eastern Nigeria. This is the region of semi-arid land where poverty lowers capacity to cope with unreliable performance of crops and livestock.
A good overall harvest in 2010, together with continuing rainfall, has relaxed short term concerns about hunger in Nigeria. However, few doubt that food insecurity could resurface in the event of serious flooding or prolonged drought, especially in the vulnerable northern regions..
Causes
Once a self-sufficient exporter of surplus food, Nigeria lost its way in response to the oil bonanza which dates from the 1980s. Comfortable in its new wealth, the government allowed investment in agriculture to decline.
The allocation in the 2011 budget amounts to only a few percentage points, despite presidential expressions of resolve to restore national food sufficiency.
This long period of neglect is reflected in the profile of the rural economy. Small rain-fed farms of a few hectares contribute 90% of output, constrained by poor infrastructure, antiquated equipment and limited access to credit.
As almost 60% of all employment in Nigeria depends on agriculture, extensive rural poverty is inevitable. In the absence of subsidies and quotas, commercial farms have become few and far between, the sector unappealing to the younger generation. About half of the country’s arable land lies fallow.
Whereas Nigeria has the potential for surplus, it has instead become one of the world’s largest importers of food, especially of wheat and rice. In 2010, the import bill for rice alone was $1 billion.
Solutions
The central goal is to recreate a modernised professional and commercial farming sector, supported by improved infrastructure and research into high performance seeds and livestock. The World Bank has backed the approach with a $150 million loan but it is difficult to assess the extent to which announcements of new initiatives and institutions have been implemented.
It also remains to be seen whether existing smallholdings will benefit from modernisation or suffer further neglect. Social welfare schemes to protect the poor from the consequences of bad harvests remain in their infancy.
Protection of the rights of small farmers will be particularly important if the government builds on its stated interest of making land available to foreign investors.
Source: uk.oneworld.net/guides/nigeria/food_security?gclid=CKq-3s6A9qkCFegNtAodvCkWfA
Learn more about snail farming in Nigeria at:
snailriches2.tripod.com
www.thethyconsulting.com/thebeautyofsnailfarming.htm
Whilst acknowledging that the average family spends over 60% of household income on food, the MDG report plays down the impact of the 2007/08 food crisis, claiming that food inflation in Nigeria remained below 20%. Other reports suggest that the price of rice doubled during this crisis period.
A more accurate picture exists for the other MDG measure of hunger – the incidence of children under age five who are underweight. In a formal Demographic and Health Survey conducted in the second half of 2008, the key indicator is 23.1%, down from 35.7% in 1990. This suggests a rate of progress in line with the Goals.
However, UNICEF says that most of these seven million underweight children are located in just six states in north-eastern Nigeria. This is the region of semi-arid land where poverty lowers capacity to cope with unreliable performance of crops and livestock.
A good overall harvest in 2010, together with continuing rainfall, has relaxed short term concerns about hunger in Nigeria. However, few doubt that food insecurity could resurface in the event of serious flooding or prolonged drought, especially in the vulnerable northern regions..
Causes
Once a self-sufficient exporter of surplus food, Nigeria lost its way in response to the oil bonanza which dates from the 1980s. Comfortable in its new wealth, the government allowed investment in agriculture to decline.
The allocation in the 2011 budget amounts to only a few percentage points, despite presidential expressions of resolve to restore national food sufficiency.
This long period of neglect is reflected in the profile of the rural economy. Small rain-fed farms of a few hectares contribute 90% of output, constrained by poor infrastructure, antiquated equipment and limited access to credit.
As almost 60% of all employment in Nigeria depends on agriculture, extensive rural poverty is inevitable. In the absence of subsidies and quotas, commercial farms have become few and far between, the sector unappealing to the younger generation. About half of the country’s arable land lies fallow.
Whereas Nigeria has the potential for surplus, it has instead become one of the world’s largest importers of food, especially of wheat and rice. In 2010, the import bill for rice alone was $1 billion.
Solutions
The central goal is to recreate a modernised professional and commercial farming sector, supported by improved infrastructure and research into high performance seeds and livestock. The World Bank has backed the approach with a $150 million loan but it is difficult to assess the extent to which announcements of new initiatives and institutions have been implemented.
It also remains to be seen whether existing smallholdings will benefit from modernisation or suffer further neglect. Social welfare schemes to protect the poor from the consequences of bad harvests remain in their infancy.
Protection of the rights of small farmers will be particularly important if the government builds on its stated interest of making land available to foreign investors.
Source: uk.oneworld.net/guides/nigeria/food_security?gclid=CKq-3s6A9qkCFegNtAodvCkWfA
Learn more about snail farming in Nigeria at:
snailriches2.tripod.com
www.thethyconsulting.com/thebeautyofsnailfarming.htm
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