Food security in Nigeria

One of the objectives of SDG is to eliminate hunger across the globe.

 This task seems impossible but it is a most do even with the growing rate of restlessness and insecurity being experience across the world but most prevalent and devastating in developing nations. This has once again remained us of the requisite need for all to be feed.

Hunger is and enemy to all and all most fight to defeat it. Food security is indispensable prerequisite for the survival of man and his economic activities, including food production; food is different from other commodities because of its inevitability for survival and existence of mankind. Nigeria is a country believed to be richly blessed with abundant natural and human resources that if properly managed or harnessed can feed it people and even export the surpluses to other countries, yet it is experiencing persistent food insecurity both in term of quantity and quality, the food security of Nigeria has fallen far below the international standard.

Food security exists when all people at all time have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preference for an active and healthy life”. It does not involve only food availability through storage and trade but also the access of people to the domestic production not through scavenging, cropping strategies or stealing.

Over the years food was the major source of government revenue and foreign exchange earnings. During this period, there was food security in the country.

The discovery of oil caused the decline of food production, as a result of underinvestment, corruption, policy neglect, and insecurity across the country.

Aisha K. Dauda,

Mass Communication Department,

University of Maiduguri.

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