World food celebration 2023 and Nigeria farmers, by Agbaji Chinedu

Today’s Agribusiness

The day is celebrated by several organizations that are concerned with food security like the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Food Program, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) etc. This day generates awareness globally for those who suffer from hunger and ensures the need for food security and nutritious diets for all. The main focus of this day is that food is a basic and fundamental human right (Affordability, Accessibility and Availability).

World Food Day 2023 is devoted to highlighting food and agriculture and is marked every year with multiple global challenges, conflict, climate change, rising prices and international tensions.

World Food Day 2023 theme is ‘Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind’. The theme for the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations states, “Water is essential to life on Earth. It covers the majority of the Earth’s surface, makes up over 50% of our bodies, produces our food, and supports livelihoods.

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But this precious resource is not infinite and we need to stop taking it for granted. What we eat, and how that food is produced all affect water. Together, we can take water action for food and be the change”. That’s to say that food system transformation includes all the aspects of feeding and nourishing people:- growing (production, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing and consuming) food, which encompasses all the interactions between people and the natural world (Land, Water, Climate etc) should be strategically reviewed for easy implementation to improve agricultural production in Nigeria. To this Nigerian smallholders and Farmers are key, they constitute more than 80% of Nigeria’s farmers and produce more than 90% of the food we eat, in the face of insecurity, kidnapping is determined to feed Nigerians, and should be encouraged and celebrated like every other group that is making the nation proud.

World Food Day is an opportunity to put the spotlight on the global challenge of hunger and malnutrition, the question is what are you doing to promote food security within your space as a lawmaker, a director in the ministry, Head of farmers and commodities Association, and stakeholders within the food system. The goal of the day is to emphasise equal access to food, and water, promote sustainable agricultural practices and raise awareness about food-related issues. World Food Day 2023 focuses on the collective responsibility of society to foster healthy and sustainable food systems.

This year people are urged to celebrate with those people who are into our system ie produce, plant, harvest, fish, or transport our food and call on the public to thank these #FoodHeroes who, no matter the circumstances, continue to provide food to their communities and beyond – helping to grow, nourish and sustain our world.

In Nigeria, it’s time we change the narrative and approach the food system without bias, with strong political will and inclusively where all stakeholders in the agricultural business ecosystem get involved in the decision-making and implementation process so that we can get the desired results in making food security a reality as Mr president has declared. Agriculture should be made compulsory in our schools at all levels, Agricultural shows should return in our local government areas, urban farming should encouraged with incentives, community cluster farming system should be a game changer in sustainable and cost-effective farming and as a result should be piloted and our farmers should be celebrated at all levels to encourage them and to attract youth participation.

Farm and farmers’ security should be given proactive attention, and the security formative around our farms/farmers should be community-inclusive and driven to achieve our food system security.

In conclusion, within your space do all you can to promote food security in Nigeria, together we can end hunger.

Chief Agbaji Chinedu is the Director of Administration of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN).