In a recent development, the Nigerian Government has forged a strategic partnership with key stakeholders in the agricultural sector, including TechnoServe, Bühler, DSM-Firmenich, and others. As reported earlier by BusinessDay.
This collaborative effort signifies a concerted move by the government towards revitalising and modernising the agricultural landscape with the aim of making itmnnnñ more appealing—an approach geared towards getting things done.
One of the primary objectives of this partnership is to introduce initiatives that will not only enhance agricultural practices but also contribute to making the sector more attractive, a concept often referred to as ‘making agriculture sexy.’ The focus of these efforts extends beyond traditional farming practices, emphasising innovation and technology.
A notable aspect of this collaboration is the emphasis on fostering healthy nutrition through large-scale food fortification as part of measures to end hidden hunger and boost food security in the country. Conceptually, hidden hunger is a situation in which a person consumes food items that fall short of the globally required percentage of vitamins and minerals—a trend that is on the rise in Nigeria.
UNICEF reports that Nigeria has the second-highest burden of stunted children in the world, with a national prevalence rate of 32 percent of children under five. An estimated 2 million children in Nigeria suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), but only two out of every 10 children affected are currently reached with treatment. Seven percent of women of childbearing age also suffer from acute malnutrition.
Further, this initiative aligns with broader goals of improving food quality and addressing nutritional challenges, marking a significant step towards a more sustainable and appealing agricultural sector.
As the government takes strides in these partnerships, the expectation is that such initiatives will not only boost the agricultural economy but also encourage greater participation from the youth and other demographics, ultimately contributing to the overall growth and development of the sector.
Additionally, in making the sector sexy and encouraging inclusive growth, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA) and other Relevant Partners, has launched the Tractorization Programme in 2023 to encourage mechanised farming, boost food and nutrition security, and create more job opportunities for Nigerian youths.
Speaking during the event that took place at the Bank of Agriculture Office Complex in Kaduna State recently, Mohammad Mahmood Abubakar, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, explained that the Ministry, in collaboration with BOA and Manufactures Representatives, has agreed to support the project by making tractors with implements available to farmers at a concessionary deferred payment term.
The Minister noted that Nigerian farmers were expected to make a 40 percent down payment while the balance of 60 percent would be spread over a period of three years. According to him, the Ministry would acquire 10,000 units of Tractors with Implements and 50,000 units of assorted equipment to kick-start the program.
The vital role of Agriculture in the Nigerian Economy makes it necessary for the Sector to be reinvigorated through tractor acquisition to achieve Food and Nutrition Security, he added. He pointed out that it would lead to improved quantity and quality of food per person, reduce the drudgery of farmers in Nigeria, as well as increase productivity through the Tractorization of the Agric Sector.
A proxy of Ernest Umakhihe, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Engr. Abubakar Abdullahi, a Director at the Federal Department of Agriculture, stated that the Programme would move agriculture from subsistence to a commercial business venture, increase the economy of most farmers, drive development in the agrarian communities, encourage youth participation, and engagement, among others.
Ruth Abisola Olusanya, Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, has called on the federal, state, and local governments in the country to change their approach to the agriculture sector, urging them to make the sector more attractive so that many youths will develop an interest in the sector to enhance food security in Nigeria.
This call was made while speaking as a guest speaker at a Programme themed “Food Security in Nigeria: Challenges and Remedies,” organised by United Action for Change (UAC), a group convened by Muiz Banire, a
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). While speaking at the program, Olusanya lamented what she described as discouraging perceptions around agriculture and food production in the country, saying that the sector had been relegated to the background and that many people were not attracted to it.
The commissioner posited that it would be difficult to improve the sector unless Nigerians changed their mindset about it, even as she sadly noted the absence of any role model that would attract people into the sector. “There is a need for mindset change; people are not attracted to agriculture, and there is no role model in the agricultural sector that will attract people into the sector. Our leaders should know that it is a sector that cannot be relegated; it is not less important than other sectors,” she said.
Speaking further, Olusanya cited the example of Ghana, where food production was on the increase, noting that farmers were well celebrated over there, even as she urged the need for Nigeria to institute a day to celebrate farmers in the country and make role models among them.
The commissioner further disclosed that the state government was also working at turning one of the Agric institutes in the state into a research institute for Agric, saying that such would come into being by 2027.
Tamara Kaunda-Kunda, a medical doctor cum farmer, speaking on Youth Employment in Agriculture: As a Solid Solution to Ending Hunger and Poverty in Africa, in Kigali, Rwanda, said, “If you want to make agriculture attractive, you have to make it sexy.”
She added that this could be achieved by starting to publish pictures with young attractive people on the cover page, making advertisements about agriculture attractive and sexy to the young—rebranding agriculture, so to say.
“We should start seeing agriculture as the oxygen and not the backbone of the economy. Without a backbone, we can still live, but without oxygen, we are no more,” she added.
