Nigeria’s myriad of challenges in achieving food security, including archaic farming practices, poor credit facilities, post-harvest losses, poor or low processing, and climate impact, among several others, continue to undermine Nigeria’s effort to promote agriculture and food security.
However, insecurity remains the most challenging as this has impacted on national food productivity, leading to losses of farmers’ lives and displaced several others.
BUSINESSDAY findings reveal that farming States most affected by insecurity include, Benue, Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Jigawa, Gombe, Ekiti, Osun and Borno among several others. This does not negate the fact that almost every State is suffering one form of insecurity or the other and further reflects the truism that thousands of farmers are not only displaced but continued to struggle against the tide of insecurity,
As part of efforts to tackle insecurity, the federal government in August 2024 established the agro-rangers outfit, a security outfit aimed at tackling insecurity in the farms.
Olusegun Dada, Special Assistant to President Tinubu on New Media, stated this in a post on his official X handle, and is posted on the official website of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security)
According to the statement, the agro-rangers initiative is a partnership between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) noting that agro-rangers will help protect farmers against malicious destruction of farmlands as well as farmer-herder conflict.
The post reads, “As part of ongoing efforts to enhance food security in the Northern region and other parts of the country, the FG through the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has deployed over 10,000 Agro Rangers across 19 states and the FCT.
“The Agro Rangers will, among other things; safeguard farmlands and protect farmers from escalating attacks, mediate conflicts between farmers and herders, and prevent malicious destruction of farmlands. While the food inflation crisis in the country is a function of many factors, insecurity has been a long-term challenge. This collaboration between the NSCDC and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is expected to solve a major challenge faced by farmers across the country.”
However, the impact of the agro rangers is yet to be felt as available information states that they have just been commissioned.
Speaking on the issue of the impact of insecurity on the nation’s food productivity, Joe Attuenyi chairman, Ellah Lakes PLC, lamented the state of insecurity in Nigeria, saying “There was no silver bullet to fix the problem as it is multi- faceted, and requires an intelligent approach. Food inflation caused by rural insecurity has fed into the economy and becoming a significant contributing factor to high interest rates.
“So, from a simple matter of bandits in rural areas, you now have a complex issue of food insecurity, high interest rates, and inadequate capacity in the Agricultural sector “
Read also: Nigeria now 2nd among countries facing food insecurity in the world
He stated that “It is a serious problem that has been quite detrimental to our progress. It has increased the cost of doing business for larger operations like ours – the deployment of extra security for the farm, and to ensure the safety of personnel is very expensive, and these operational costs, end up being passed on to the consumer.
For small scale rural farmers who are staying away from their farms, the end result is a reduction in the scale of production, which leads to food inflation, on a macro level, and that has its’ own societal repercussions.
He added that “for a country that imports so much food, we need to have the food security problem fixed, sooner rather than later, so it doesn’t degenerate further”.
Speaking on the role of government in tackling, the security situation, Attuenyi stated no particular administration can be blamed for the current state of security in the sector.
“You cannot blame any particular Federal government, or State Government, or Local Government. For a long time, there have been challenges at every level, and for a variety of reasons, no one has adequately managed the different challenges appropriately.
“The state governments and the federal government need to get together, with the security agencies to tackle the problems. What is most important, is that the people are carried along on the Local Government level, because it is the aspect of government that is closest to the people.”
In his recommendations for a solution, the corporate farmer stressed the need for concerted, honest collaboration between the public and private sector.
“This complex issue requires concerted and honest interaction between the public & private sector – state involvement to restore security and allow return to the land, well thought out, and more importantly, well implemented intervention & education programs to enable the private sector invest in Agriculture, and build capacity in the Agricultural sector” he said
“Coupled with these, you need properly experienced government technocrats to proffer long-term solutions to the macro problems that are generated y these local situations. It’s not going to be ease, but we have to start.”
Also speaking, Emman Usman Shehu, one of the founding founders of the #BringBackOurGirls movement noted that with the current security challenges, the current season could become one of the most difficult for farmers, particularly in the North and Middle belt.
“This season may turn out to be a difficult one for a lot of farmers especially in the North and Middle Belt regions. The security situation has not changed which means that in the North West, for instance, not much farming will take place”, he said.
This ultimately means, there may not be much harvest and ultimately less food to tackle Nigeria’s food situation. As such prices will continue to go up as few farmers are able to produce the food needs of the nation. And because Nigerian farmers are almost always smallholder farmers, mostly farming to feed, the little that gets to the market will become more expensive”
Read also: Experts call for collaboration to tackle food insecurity
Climate inclemency is also a worrisome factor, given that the rains have been topsy-turvy, and now the threat of flooding will worsen the situation. This among several other factors will play a negative effect on the nation’s food security.
“So we may be facing a serious situation of food scarcity,” he said
Donald ikenna ofoegbu, program manager for Sustainable Nigeria Program, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, opined that insecurity significantly jeopardizes food security through various mechanisms, primarily by disrupting agricultural production and supply chains.”
“Conflict and violence are now major drivers of food insecurity in Nigeria, affecting over 60% of food-insecure individuals who live in conflict zones. These conflicts have led to the destruction of infrastructure, displacement of populations, and loss of livelihoods, which directly impact food availability and access”, he said.
Ofoegbu added that “The dynamics of violent conflict in northern Nigeria driven by a combination of historical grievances, climate change, socio-economic challenges, and political factors, have profound implications for agriculture, livestock rearing, and overall economic stability in the region”.
“Reports indicate that northern Nigeria accounts for 68% of violent deaths related to land disputes, highlighting the critical link between environmental stressors and conflict. The resulting violence and resource competition have forced many individuals to migrate in search of safer and more sustainable livelihoods. According to the Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) 2024, a total of 457,000 people were internally displaced by conflict and disaster in 2023 in Nigeria. Of this figure, 291,000 were displaced by violent conflict” he added.
He further noted that insecurity has severely disrupted markets and agrarian livelihoods and has caused large population displacements.
“In June 2024, about 3.4 million people were estimated to be internally displaced, leading to a significant reduction in agricultural labour availability in these regions; with many farmers unable to cultivate their lands due to insecurity. The violent conflict and insecurity in farms across Nigeria led to a marked decline in agricultural labour supply as individuals flee violence and seek safer, alternative livelihoods” he added
