It is certain that there is nothing more important than food and access to food, especially access to nutritious food, which is a fundamental human right that all societies must ensure. Nigeria in the last four years have succeeded in increasing food production, while promising to make agriculture a major revenue generation because of the dwindling price of oil. But one major aspect that experts have been calling attention into, is the nutrition aspect, especially as the European Union and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) recently revealed that a staggering number of children are stunted and malnourished. JOHN OBA, writes
Concern about food security and its effect on persistent malnutrition has increased interest in how agriculture could be used to improve nutritional outcomes in developing countries. Yet the evidence base for the impact of agricultural interventions targeted at improved nutrition is currently poor.
Malnutrition, particularly among women and children from most northern state, has been a major threat to health in developing counties like Nigeria has the poor populace. As the basis for food production, agriculture clearly makes a contribution to nutrition. Indeed, agricultural growth has been shown to increase the incomes of the very poorest and improve child nutrition more effectively than other sources of economic growth. However, despite agricultural growth, malnutrition persists in low- and middle-income countries.
Until recently, most efforts to address this have focused on direct “nutrition-specific” interventions, such as food fortification and supplementation, rather than on indirect or “nutrition-sensitive” interventions, such as those related to agriculture. Yet, although nutrition-specific interventions have been found to be effective and cost-effective at reducing some of the burden of malnutrition, interventions on the underlying determinants of poor nutrition, including agriculture, are required if malnutrition is to be eliminated
This realization has led to a wave of new governmental and nongovernmental organization-based agriculture–nutrition programs as well as research. In Nigeria, the government has intensified effort aimed at reducing malnutrition through the use of fortified agricultural produces.
Recently, during the High Level Policy Dialogue on Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture, the minister of agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, there is a disconnect between the nature of growth and the swelling number of poor people. For Africa to succeed in lifting millions out of poverty, and create a model of shared prosperity, it must focus on transforming its rural economies. And the way to do this is to transform agriculture. In other words, we must make the rural economy the new wealth economy.
He disclosed during the dialogue the determination of the Federal Government in solving the challenge of nutrition in Nigeria.
He maintained that investment in nutrition is investing in the economy, adding that the greatest contributor to economic growth is not physical infrastructure but brain power, which he referred to as “grey matter infrastructure”.
The minister maintained that for Africa to succeed in lifting millions out of poverty and create a model of shared prosperity, it must focus on transforming agriculture. According to him, to address the challenge of malnutrition and stunting in Africa, there is an urgent need for Africa to produce more of its own food.
Though the Head of Cooperation, European Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria and West Africa, Mr Bran O’Neil, and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), representative, Dr. Richard Seki, stated that over 11 million children in Nigeria are suffering from stunting in Nigeria.
Adesina corroborated this, stating that Nigeria still has 37% of under -5 children that are stunted, claiming regional disparities exist with malnutrition and stunting. He said greater efforts are needed to drastically reduce the high levels of stunting.
While assuring Nigerians that government would not only produce more food but a lot more nutrition food and expand access to nutritious food to children, he said 80 million Nigerians would have access to bio-fortified cassava, maize and orange flesh sweet potatoes within the next four years.
The Minister revealed that Nigeria is partnering with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to deliver through mobile phones, Micronutrient Power (MNP) to 10million children under the age of five in Nigeria. He however frowned at the situation where 90% of high –energy foods distributed in Africa are imported.
Dr. Adesina stated that the goal of government is for Nigeria to become the largest producer of high-energy foods in Africa. He said, “We have the solutions in our hands and a huge opportunity to build a stronger partnership with Africa’s agribusiness sector to solve Africa’s malnutrition challenge.”
The dialogue which had in attendance Development Partner institution: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the European Union, USAID, DFID, IFAD, FAO, UNICEF, Save Children, GAIN, Harvest Plus and a host of others gives opportunity for stakeholders to develop policies to overcome this.
O’Neil, giving his good will remark said availability of food does not translate into accessibility to many poor people, saying Nigeria have the capacity not only to feed itself but the entire continent.
He said: “Nigeria is a great agricultural country, you can produce more than you need and feed the African region, you can become the food basket of African, but the nutrition value of food production is very important. It is only the issue of availability of food, there is also the issue of accessibility of food to the poorest of the poor.
“So we have two things here, increasing the availability of high nutritional food and increasing the access to the poorest of the poor. There are too many malnourished children in this country, over 11 million children are suffering from stunting and many also are suffering from chronic malnutrition and you have to deal with that as well. Nigeria can build and produce enough food and feed their children with balance diets to stop the spread of malnutrition.
He said the EU is ready to partner with Nigeria on this and that the government to go into private public partnership (PPP) to increase the availability high nutritional value food and the acceptability of the committee report in the entire Africa.
On the part of FAO, said malnutrition situation in Nigeria troubling despite the fact that the country has reached the MDGs
1C, adding that stunting and macro nutrients deficiencies in Nigeria especially the northern parts are still high.
“The nutrition situation in Nigeria is still troubling, those Nigeria has already reached the MDGs 1C but this has not captured half of the population suffering from hunger, this has not been translated into successful nutritional outcome. Stunting and macro nutrients deficiencies are still high. FAO, has a leading organisation on food nutrition and security strongly believe that one solution to address this situation is to promote nutrition stunting in agriculture and food base approaches,” he said.
