Nigeria needs an encompassing law that covers plants, animals, and fishes, rather than approaching food in silos.
This observation by the Director of HOMEF, Nnimmo Bassey was part of the observations made when various stakeholders in the food sector including farmers, nutritionists, researchers, journalists, CSOs met in an in-person and virtual dialogue organised by HOMEF.
An issue of concern stakeholders discussed was the Plant Variety Protection Bill which currently sits on the table of the Nigerian president waiting to be signed into law. According to Bassey, “the bill aligns with the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), a patent driven system formulated without the participation of African countries and designed by countries where agriculture is a business rather than a way of life.
“Nigeria needs an omnibus law that covers plants, animals, and fishes. Rather than approaching food in silos, promoting the interest of seed oligarchs and speculators, we should be looking at how to create spaces for the celebration of traditional ecological knowledge and technologies and at how to amplify our traditional diets and cuisine. We should look for ways to encourage research into these as a sure pathway to secure our food systems for now and for the future.”
Nigeria and Africa at large are combating food system related issues such as malnutrition, environmental degradation, the rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), cultural erosion and injustice. These issues can mostly be linked to defective or inadequate food policies.
Previously, HOMEF in partnership with Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) carried out a collaborative research and reflection process to identify what tools are required to deliver sustainable food systems in Africa through coherent and effective policies. A study was carried out to explore the current governance structures and policy frameworks related to food in Nigeria and their fitness for purpose. The study which was conducted by Gloria Ekpo, a development consultant and facilitator at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, analysed the coherence between the food related policies and identified gaps for introducing reforms. The national plans, policies, programmes, initiatives and key implementing agencies that have guided and shaped the Nigerian agricultural, food security, and rural development landscapes from 1990 to 2020 were assessed. The aim was to show their impact on the lives of Nigerians, the food sector, and the entire ecosystem.
The meeting was to discuss and review the findings of the study.
The research report and extensive discussions by the stakeholders highlighted issues facing food systems in Nigeria to include population growth, high number of people living in extreme poverty and rapid urbanization. It was also noted that public investments in the agricultural sector are low, resulting in underdeveloped infrastructure.
Weak institutions, weak links between science and practice, low quality of education, and non-transparent markets with high transaction costs and high investment risks despite the high (urban) demand for food were also noted as challenges in the agricultural sector.
Furthermore, it was stated that environmental trends, such as soil degradation, climate change, water scarcity, deforestation and decreasing biodiversity pose added threats to the food system. Other issues outlined include, the scarcity of resources which is a major driver of the pastoral-farmer conflict in Northern Nigeria; exclusion of small scale farmers in decision making process; and poor extension service.
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