The prediction by the United Nations (UN) that about 670 million people or eight per cent of the world population will be afflicted by hunger in 2030 is frightening. This was contained in the 2022 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’s report. The UN report also states that the world is moving further away from its goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030. The goal to end global hunger was launched in 2015 under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
According to the report, the number of people globally affected by hunger went up to 828 million in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020. It states that the world hunger levels have gone up by 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, tilting towards the situation in 2015. About 2.3 billion people worldwide (29.3 per cent) were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021 — 350 million more compared to before the COVID‑19 pandemic. Nearly 924 million people (11.7 per cent of the global population) faced food insecurity at severe levels, an increase of 207 million in two years, it added. More worrisome in the finding is that almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, up from 112 million in 2019, showing the effects of inflation on consumer food prices.
The report was jointly published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The UN timely report is a warning to countries to increase their food production. Unfortunately, the damning report is coming at a time the world population is projected to hit 8 billion in 2030.
No doubt, Nigeria will be adversely affected by the looming global hunger if nothing is done now to address the growing food crisis. Already, about 19.4 million people are estimated to face food insecurity in the country between June and August 2022, according to report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). According to the agency, about 14.4 million people, including 385,000 IDPs in 21 states and Federal Capital Territory, are already in the food crisis.
The rising insecurity is the major challenge to food security in the country. Nigeria’s food basket zone has been badly hit by the farmers/herders crisis. Farmers can no longer access their farms due to fear of attacks. In the North East, insurgents and terrorists still hold sway. In 2018, Nigeria was declared the poverty capital of the world. And up till now, the situation has not changed. The government should map out intervention measures to accelerate food production. Sadly, past initiatives such as the Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), Green Revolution and lately, the National Food Policy, all aimed at ensuring adequate food production and containing hunger, did not do much to change the situation. Various social intervention schemes, like the conditional cash transfer to the aged and vulnerable, and school feeding programmes, have not fully addressed hunger and poverty.
Despite these laudable policies, the situation has not significantly improved. While food production is still at a low pace, the population is rising astronomically. There is need to revitalise agriculture. Government should address the rising insecurity and tackle the factors fueling it to enable farmers return to their farms. This is the time to fully embrace mechanised agriculture as well as all seasons’ farming. Adequate cultivation of improved high-yielding food crops can enhance the nation’s food security. There is no way Nigeria can tackle hunger with subsistence farming.
Let government provide the enablers to encourage more investments in agriculture. The development of the agricultural sector will ensure food security and provide more jobs. We urge the state and local governments to prioritise agriculture.