FOOD CRISIS HAS BEEN A MAJOR CHALLENGE IN NIGERIA.

DISCUSS REASONS
WHY THIS IS SO

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has established a National Food Security Council to
address challenges in the country’s food and agriculture sectors. Food security is a huge problem in
Nigeria. It ranks 84th out of 119 countries on the 2017 Global Hunger Index, coming in just below
the Republic of Congo. If a person is food secure it typically means that sufficient quality food is
available, they have enough resources to buy food for a nutritious diet and they have stable access
to adequate food at all times.

In Nigeria, about 3.7 million people, across16 states, are food insecure. Several factors have driven
this. These include civil conflicts, large-scale displacement, rising food prices, climate change,
natural resource degradation, poverty and population growth.

Majors factors of food crisis in Nigeria

Conflict

Civil conflict is one of the leading causes of food insecurity, affecting food and agriculture. In
Nigeria the conflicts are Boko Haram’s insurgency, conflict in the Niger delta and clashes over
resources between Fulani herdsmen and farmers.

Current data on the exact number of people affected by the civil conflicts is unavailable. But what is
known is that farmers and livestock have been killed, crops destroyed, and farming communities
displaced.

Boko Haram attacks in resource rich Northern Nigeria resulted in stalled food production, large-
scale displacement of people, loss of livelihoods and increased food prices in Nigeria and
neighbouring Lake Chad basin countries – Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Last year the Boko Haram
insurgency resulted in the displacement of 1.7 million people in north-eastern Nigeria alone, and
caused food insecurity for over 4.5 million people from Nigeria, Cameron, Chad and Niger.
Conflict in the [Niger Delta], originally due to tensions between foreign oil corporations and
minority ethnic groups, have also affected the country’s food security. Artisanal small-scale fish
farmers from the Niger Delta produce about 50 % of the fish consumed in Nigeria. Exacerbated by
oil spills and overfishing, the conflict hinders access to fish which contributes about 40% of the
animal protein intake in Nigeria.

Natural causes

In addition to the man-made causes of food insecurity, natural events – like flooding,
desertification, drought and erosion – have contributed to poor conditions for agriculture, land
degradation and overall decline in agricultural productivity.
Small-scale farmers – with less than two hectares under cropping – produce about 90% of the food
in Nigeria. Unless they employ sustainable farming practices to protect land, water, soil and genetic
resources or precision farming practices, which would make them more resilient to the natural
events, small-scale farmers won’t be able to produce enough food to feed their families or meet
public demands.

By 2050 Nigeria is projected to become the third most populous country in the world, after China
and India. The ability to consistently meet food demands of the growing population is crucial to
food security.

Nutrition

Another dimension of food security is nutrition, since a balanced diet is vital for good health and
well-being. This is another big challenge Nigeria faces.

For 68% of Nigerians living on less than USD$1.25 a day, there may be [less of a focus]
(http://www.tribuneonlineng.com/will-nigeria-end-malnutrition-problem/) on nutritional content as
priority is placed on purchasing the cheapest food – which isn’t always nutritional – for survival. In
contrast, some of the remaining 32% Nigerians living above the poverty line may prefer to consume
unhealthy processed and ready-made food. Both situations result in deficiencies in essential micro-
nutrients, leading to malnutrition. However, poverty is not the only cause of malnutrition. Other
causes include ignorance, poor food preparation or preservation techniques and poor sanitation.

Policy inconsistencies and corruption

Frequent policy changes and poor performance of agencies assigned to implement food and
agriculture policies have serious setback on food production and distribution. Each time a new
government comes to power, the previous agricultural policies and programmes are abandoned and
new ones are put in place, and not that the new ones are better than the old ones. It is in a bid to
create opportunities for graft. This creates no room for stability and progress in food production.

Poverty and hunger

Poverty and hunger prevent people from working hard to increase productivity. Food and
agricultural productivity is both capital and labour intensive. Unfortunately, it is the poor peasant
farmers that produce the bulk of food needs in Nigeria, due to their level of poverty, they find it
very difficult to learn, work and care for themselves and their family members, let alone getting the
necessary inputs and energy to produce for others. Apart from the inconsistence in policies most of
these policies are neo-liberal which work against the interest of the domestic economy such as the
devaluation of naira which made the importation of farm inputs very difficult and out of the reach
of peasant farmers.
References

Idachaba, F. S. (2006). Strategic and Policies for Food Security and Economic Development in
Nigeria. Lagos: CBN.

Oke Ibeanu (2009). Policy Guidelines on Crop Production and Agro–based Industrialization in
Nigeria, Agricultural Development Bulletin. Abuja.

Otaha I.J. (2013). Leading Issues in Economic Management and Administration. Abuja: Eriba
Press.

Peter, S. A. (2008). Poverty and Welfare in Nigeria. Abuja.

USAID (2011). Promoting Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Journal Outlook on
Agriculture vol. 27

World Bank (2006). Nigeria Poverty in the Midst of plenty. The Challenge of Growth without
Development. A World Bank Poverty Assessment. Abuja: Will R.E. and Valter.
 CHILDREN ARE CONSIDERED MINOR BUT PLAY SIGNIFICANCE ROLE IN THE
FAMILY. EXAMINE THESE ROLES

Children are some of the most sensitive and perceptive people you will ever find. Rebellion often
comes during the teenage years when children feel their parents are asking them to behave in a way
not consistent with their own behaviour. It is very difficult to be the shining example of all the
morals and values we hold dear, but that is one of the responsibilities we take on when we decide to
become parents.

The role of children in the family has changed dramatically in the last 100 years. Families needed
children for their livelihood. When we were primarily agricultural, children were needed to plow
the fields, feed the animals, make butter, cook etc. They had a sense of being a vital part of the
survival of their family. In this automated world, how do we give our children that sense of self-
worth

Children roles in the family

Home Responsibilities of the Five- and Six-Year-Old Children   

1.  Help with meal planning and grocery shopping. 
2.  Help prepare lunch to take to school. 
3.  Set the table. 
4.  Peel carrots and potatoes. 
5.  Involved in more challenging preparation of food, including baking and cooking, with
assistance. 
6.  Make bed and straighten room. 
7.  Choose clothing the night before, dresses self. 
8.  Ties shoes. 
9.  Attends to personal hygiene. 
10.  Fold clothes and puts them away. 
11.  Answer the phone properly. 
12.  Yard work and gardening. 
13.  Feed pets and clean their living area. 
14.  Assist in caring for younger sibling. 
15.  At busy times, the child may offer, “How can I help?”     

 Home Responsibilities for Ages 6 to 12   

1.  All of the above with increasing challenge. 
2.  Prepare a simple meal independently. 
3.  Care for own belongings. 
4.  Organize belongings. 
5.  Earn money for special jobs, perhaps receive an allowance. 
6.  Beginning money management: saving, giving, spending. 
7.  Increasing thoughtfulness toward others, appropriate manners. 

Home Responsibilities for Teens   

1.  Earn money through jobs such as helping neighbors and babysitting. 2.  Create and follow own
budget, including giving. 
3.  Participate in family budgeting. 
4.  Help with home repair and maintenance. 
5.  Yard work and mowing the lawn. 
6.  Maintain respectful family relationships. 
7.  Take on greater responsibility for his or her own life and choices, gaining independence while
maintaining safety and communication with parents.

References

Berns, Roberta (2007). Child, family, school, community: socialization and support. Thompson
Learning. p. 139.

Roffee, J. A. (2014). "No Consensus on Incest? Criminalisation and Compatibility with the
European Convention on Human Rights" (PDF). Human Rights Law Review. 14 (3): 541–
572.

Jás Elsner (2007). "The Changing Nature of Roman Art and the Art Historical Problem of Style," in
Eva R. Hoffman (ed), Late Antique and Medieval Art of the Medieval World, 11–18.
Oxford, Malden & Carlton: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4051-2071-5, p. 17, Figure
1.3 on p. 18.

Murphy, Michael (2013). "Cross-National Patterns of Intergenerational Continuities in

Childbearing in Developed Countries". Biodemography and Social Biology. 59 (2): 101–
126.