77.2m Nigerians face food insecurity, 57.4m lack nutrition, others – ActionAid

ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has raised the alarm that the multidimensional Poverty index (2022) report released in November shows that 77.2 million Nigerians are faced with food insecurity, 57.4 million are face with nutrition insecurity and 101.2 million others lack access to cooking fuel which contributes largely to climate change and health issues.

The country – director, Ene Obi, further revealed that the report which was conducted in November 2021 and February 2022 that things are worse than these statistics at the moment considering just the recent floods.

She noted this in Abuja on Monday at the official launch of the Strategic Partnerships for Agroecology and Climate Justice in West Africa (SPAC-West Africa) Nigeria project and stakeholders meeting, Agroecology and climate justice in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

She further expressed concern that Nigeria is faced with daunting food and nutrition insecurity caused by low public investments in Agriculture, late budget releases, insurgency, armed banditry and farmers herders clashes.

To curb these challenges, she explained that through the SPAC-West Africa project which is 3 years funded by ActionAid International through its Transformative Impact Fund will be implemented in Liberia, Nigeria and Senegal with regional engagement of stakeholders will improve food and nutrition security and enhance agroecology practices,indigenous seeds and agrobiodiversity preservation for increased farm yields.

She explained that through agroecology budget monitoring ,tracking and advocacy towards the expansion of the fiscal spaces , rightsholders will significantly benefit from budget increases and allocations in Agriculture.

In her words: “26 model agroecological farms will also be set up and scaled by SHWF to increase adoption of agroecological farmers will also be set up and scaled by SHWF to adoption of agroecology practices.

Speaking, the Food and Agriculture Programme Coordinator, ActionAid Nigeria, Azubike Nwokoye, said for Nigeria, the project started to increase the efficient agroecological practices of 120 small holder women farmers and young people within the three years in Nigeria.

“At a target of 40 thousand per year , we are hoping that it will be more than that the project will be implemented in Delta, Ebonyi , Ondo, Jigawa and the FCT and at the national level engagement.

” We intend to achieve the full food administration security for communities across those states through agroecology and also to support both small holder women farmers and young people to practice agroecology efficiently,” he said.