In a recent Africa Independent Television (AIT) interview, Dr. Kingsley Uzoma, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, addressed Nigeria’s food security challenges by referencing the Cadre Harmonisé report (a sophisticated food security assessment tool used in collaboration with the FAO and WFP) to contextualize the UN’s projection that 24.8 million Nigerians could face hunger.
He explained how the tool & report could help enable precision targeting of interventions rather than ineffective blanket solutions.
Identifying the root causes, Dr. Uzoma intoned that insecurity and climate disruptions have significantly undermined agricultural productivity, particularly citing the extensive farmland losses during recent flooding events.
He gave some insights into some interventions by the FG:
– Successfully launching the National Agricultural Growth Scheme – Agro Pocket, which has revitalized large-scale dry season farming, particularly wheat production at a scale not seen in three decades
– Distributing over 2.2 million bags of NPK fertilizer using advanced Sentinel satellite-based mapping for precise allocation
– Increasing the availability of agrochemicals and improved seedlings nationwide
Dr. Uzoma reported that these strategic interventions have already yielded measurable results, including a 20% reduction in staple food prices due to increased supply and reduced hoarding by middlemen.
For complete details, watch the interview: https://lnkd.in/dVwuK_nU
