ActionAid Nigeria has called for decisive and urgent reforms in the country’s agricultural sector, warning that post-harvest losses of N3.5 trillion annually threaten national food security and economic stability.
The organisation called for urgent public investments in agriculture through budgetary allocation of at least 10% to agriculture sector to secure the future.
The Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria
Andrew Mamedu, in a statement on Tuesday said the global theme for this year, “Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future,” takes on deeper relevance for Nigeria, where nearly 106 million people in rural areas are trapped in poverty and dependent on an agriculture sector plagued by inefficiencies and neglect.
Mamedu said President Bola Tinubu’s state of emergency declaration on food security in July 2023 reflects the urgency of the crisis, but more needs to be done, decrying that with 50% of Nigeria’s food production lost to post-harvest challenges, the lack of investments in critical infrastructure continues to cripple smallholder farmers especially women who are at the heart of food production.
He lamented that Nigeria’s agriculture budget allocations remain woefully inadequate. “If each state and the Federal Capital Territory were to receive equal shares of the N3.5 trillion post-harvest losses, it would result in N94.5 billion per state, more than most states’ annual agricultural budgets combined. Smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of food production, are left impoverished as half their harvests spoil before reaching the market.
ActionAid Nigeria emphasized that deliberate public investments are critical in areas such as: Post-Harvest Loss Reduction (processing and storage facilities, trainings, and market access); Irrigation and Extension Services (including solar-powered boreholes to support year-round farming); Women and Youth in Agriculture (including labour-saving technologies and access to credit)
ActionAid Nigeria added that Climate-Resilient Agriculture (agroecology, research, and rural infrastructure improvements) is needed as statistics revealed a grim reality for smallholder women farmers as: Only 26% have access to processing facilities, a mere 18% can access adequate storage facilities, 10%have reliable transportation, only 21% enjoy market access and just 39% of these farmers receive post-harvest loss reduction training.
It said without urgent interventions, Nigeria cannot achieve the “right to food” for its people. To meet the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), ActionAid Nigeria stresses that systemic barriers affecting women farmers must be dismantled to ensure inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction.
Mamedu said ActionAid’s research highlights that strategic investments in agriculture could significantly boost states’ Internally Generated Revenues (IGR). With N15 billion spent annually on rural agriculture infrastructure, states could generate billions in additional IGR.
He explained that these investments would not only reduce unemployment but also improve food production, enhance trade, and mitigate the effects of rural poverty and inequality. To align with the World Food Day theme and achieve lasting solutions,
ActionAid Nigeria however recommended that Federal and State Governments must prioritize the agricultural sector through massive investments in irrigation, credit facilities, processing hubs, and agroecology; Small cottage processing and storage facilities must be established in rural communities to curb post-harvest losses; Special credit access programmes must be created to empower women and youth cooperatives, with technical support to navigate existing credit systems.
It also advised that security measures such as Agro Rangers must be expanded to protect farmers from insecurity, fostering safer farming environments; adding that evidence exists that irrigation has the potential to boost agricultural productivity by at least 50%, insisting that, investment in irrigation is needed and can be done through the provision of solar powered boreholes across rural communities to provide water for lives and livelihoods.
The organisation equally urged Federal and State Governments to invest massively in rural roads to support agriculture produce transportation and trade.
It said: “Addressing Nigeria’s food crisis requires political will and sustainable public investments. In a nation where agriculture holds the key to economic recovery, neglecting the sector will perpetuate hunger, poverty, and inequality. This World Food Day, ActionAid Nigeria calls on President Tinubu and all state governors to act swiftly to ensure that Nigeria’s agriculture sector becomes a beacon of food security, prosperity, and hope for future generations.”
