The solution lies not in lamentation but action. The government must prioritise agriculture in fiscal planning, scaling up investments in research, irrigation, rural roads, security and smallholder credit schemes.
Nigeria's future is tied to its farms and fields. Now is the time for the government, private sector, and development partners to come together to put agriculture at the heart of development, and ensure that no Nigerian goes hungry in a land of plenty. The time for talks is over, this is the time to invest in agriculture and the future of Nigeria.
The National Bureau of Statistics' (NBS) latest Consumer Price Index report indicated some relief on food insecurity as food inflation slowed to 23.51 per cent in February. This is a sharp decline from last February (2024), when food inflation stood at 37.92 per cent.
But this relief may still not translate to much in terms of food security and access, especially by the over 133 million Nigerians living in multi-dimensional poverty, according to statistics, as hunger remains one of the most pressing challenges confronting Nigeria today.
According to the Global Hunger Index in 2024, Nigeria ranks 110th out of 127 countries surveyed, which points to a serious level of hunger. Other reports also indicate that 33.1 million Nigerians are projected to face acute food insecurity, while 5.4 million children, 800,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are at a high risk of malnutrition, especially during the lean months between June and August.
The irony is that this crisis is experienced in a country that is blessed with abundant arable land, water resources, and a youthful population. The major culprits of this ugly situation are no other than poor policy implementation and underinvestment.
The Maputo Declaration, adopted by African Union member states, was a bold commitment to allocate at least 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture and rural development, aiming to achieve an average of 6 per cent annual growth in agricultural productivity. It also called for investments in research, infrastructure, and access to credit, market development, and technology adoption.
Action on the Maputo Declaration
With one of the most arable land for agriculture, Nigeria has no business with hunger, a reason it signed and ratified the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security in Africa at the Second Ordinary Assembly of the African Union in Maputo in 2003.
The Maputo Declaration, adopted by African Union member states, was a bold commitment to allocate at least 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture and rural development, aiming to achieve an average of 6 per cent annual growth in agricultural productivity. It also called for investments in research, infrastructure, and access to credit, market development, and technology adoption. These are the critical building blocks for food security, poverty reduction, and economic diversification in Africa.
Unfortunately, more than two decades later, Nigeria is yet to meet this commitment. The annual budget allocation to agriculture has hovered around 2 per cent to 3 per cent, far below the agreed target. Over the last 10 years, Nigerian leaders have consistently lacked the political and social will to increase investment in agriculture, with the highest being in 2024, when N9996.90 billion was approved for the agriculture ministry, despite the N28.77 trillion appropriated. This signified 3.46 per cent of the total budget - an unfortunate shot far below the prescription in the Maputo Declaration.
The consequences are visible: poor rural infrastructure, weak value chains, limited access to finance for smallholder farmers, post-harvest losses, and growing import dependency that drains foreign exchange, thereby exacerbating inflation and triggering a cost of living crisis.
The solution lies not in lamentation but action. The government must prioritise agriculture in fiscal planning, scaling up investments in research, irrigation, rural roads, security and smallholder credit schemes. Beyond local commitment, this is a call to development partners, particularly the Gates Foundation...and similar global funders, to deepen their support for Nigeria's agricultural transformation.
Had Nigeria fulfilled its Maputo commitments, we would likely be experiencing robust agricultural growth, lower hunger rates, and significant contributions to the GDP and employment. Instead, we face a vicious cycle of food inflation, poverty, and insecurity -- much of which is exacerbated by the neglect of the sector that feeds the nation.
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The solution lies not in lamentation but action. The government must prioritise agriculture in fiscal planning, scaling up investments in research, irrigation, rural roads, security and smallholder credit schemes. Beyond local commitment, this is a call to development partners, particularly the Gates Foundation, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), African Development Bank (AfDB), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and similar global funders, to deepen their support for Nigeria's agricultural transformation. Nigeria should not just benefit from funding but also from the technical expertise, innovative financing models, and evidence-based strategies that these organisations bring to the table.
Nigeria's future is tied to its farms and fields. Now is the time for the government, private sector, and development partners to come together to put agriculture at the heart of development, and ensure that no Nigerian goes hungry in a land of plenty. The time for talks is over, this is the time to invest in agriculture and the future of Nigeria.
Victor Emeruwa a journalist and public affairs analyst, is director, partnerships at Manifold Media.
