Our nation is at a critical juncture where the impact of economic crises, global challenges, tumbling currency, insecurity and climate change is affecting the ability of many citizens to feed themselves. The figures are striking. As of March 2024, the food inflation rate increased by 40.01 percent, which is about 15.56 percent higher than the March 2023 rate. With the complexity and interdependence of the factors responsible for the current food crises, our approach to addressing them must go beyond the conventional means. We need a more agile approach to address the current food crises. An approach that can quickly adapt to our changing circumstances and effectively address the complex factors contributing to the crises. For this approach to be viable, it has to be rooted in three pivotal elements.
First, this approach must be holistic enough to consider the challenges in every phase of our food system and account for their current realities. This means that our approach must tackle the root causes of issues in our production, aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal, as well as ensure smooth, supportive, equitable coordination. Issues of insecurity, such as kidnapping and farmer-herder clashes, especially in rural communities, are some of the major factors that have caused many farmers to abandon their farms and led to reduced food production. This approach has to do everything to guarantee the safety of our farmers. The recent setting up of “Agro Marshals” tasked with the responsibility of safeguarding farmlands, schools and palaces in Ekiti State is a commendable step that should be embraced by other states. It must be emphasized that State or local government administrations will do a better job in this regard, as each community possesses peculiar local situations that can be best understood by its people.
