By Oluwafunke Ishola
It is no longer news that Nigeria’s food sufficiency is threatened by climate change, a development that has affected agricultural production, leading to food scarcity and increasing food prices.
One is not in doubt that climate change is threatening sustainable development, and indeed, the totality of human existence in the country and other parts of the world.
Climate change or Global warming which is the drastic alteration in the natural components of the atmospheric environment with resultant adverse responses, scientists say is the most urgent problem facing human existence.
It is the shift in weather variations or patterns involving overall and unprecedented changes in weather patterns, which may include unusual challenges in rain yield or precipitation, temperature, density or cloud look.
To underscore the peril of climate change to human existence, the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, on July 22 at Vienna, Austria, during discussions on climate change, said: “Climate change is as dangerous as, if not more than, the threat posed by terrorism’’.
Current weather extremes, such as storms, floods, heat wave, mudslide and drought are becoming more frequent and intense, affecting millions of people in the country.
Climate change is threatening global water and food security, agricultural supply chains, and many coastal cities.
The impact of climate change on Nigeria’s food security is exacerbated because of the country’s practice of rain-fed agriculture.
The role of agriculture in transforming the socio-economic framework of the society cannot be over-emphasised.
It is a source of food, accounts for about two-third of manufacturing raw materials, crucial to expansion of employment opportunities, poverty reduction and increased industrialisation.
Agro-based industries are more than other industries driven by non-agricultural produce.
Consequently, the climate impacts development. Changes in rainfall patterns have a disruptive effect on planting seasonal cycles.
A much critical area of concern to the world is the effect of climate change on food security and the ability of households and individuals to feed well.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, says that acting on climate change promises “new markets’’ along with “better jobs’’ and “better health’’.
Three-quarter of the world’s poor and hungry are located in the rural areas. These people depend directly and indirectly on agriculture-related activities for their food and income.
According to a climatologist, Dr Ibidun Adelekan, climate change is dangerous to the sustainability of agriculture.
She notes that the adverse effects of climate change lead to agricultural losses from flood, high temperature which affects plants, animal and farmers’ health, enhances pests, reduces water supply and increases the risk of growing aridity and land degradation.
Recently, tomato farms in the country were plagued by a pest known as “Tuta Absoluta’’, leading to the destruction of many farms and scarcity of the produce in markets.
Consequently, the tomato fruit became ridiculously expensive and far beyond affordability by an average Nigerian.
This issue generated much concern as the Dangote Tomato Processing Plant in Kano State that started operation in March, suspended production in May due to unavailability of fresh tomatoes which constitutes its raw material.
Governor Nasiru El-Rufai of Kaduna State, on May 23, declared a state of emergency in the tomato sector of the state, saying that 80 per cent of tomato farms had been ravaged by the Tuta Absoluta pest.
He said that within a month, 12 local government areas of the state that produce tomatoes had lost 80 per cent of its harvest.
In three local government areas, about 200 farmers lost one billion Naira worth of tomatoes.
The 450,000 metric tons of tomato processed annually by Erisco Foods Ltd, Lagos, was also affected by the fresh tomato scarcity.
The company in that situation resorted to converting dried tomatoes for production of its tomato paste.
However, the ingenuity of Nigerians is commendable as many homemakers that could not afford fresh tomato switched to the use of blended carrots for sauce.
Mr Jonathan Tobin, Executive Director, Corporate Service, Bank of Industry (BoI), says that achieving food sufficiency is tasking due to the refusal of more states to adopt a business-like approach to the agricultural sector.
The country’s precarious battle against climate change is worsened by its over-reliance and popularity of the subsistence farming methods, poor storage systems for agricultural produce, poor handling process and lack of adequate number of extension workers.
The concern over food security is exacerbated by the fact that the geographical belt mostly at risk accounts for the bulk of the food crops consumed by Nigerians.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has approximated the number of people around the world who are unable to obtain enough food to live healthy and productive lives at 852 million.
It said hunger has many impacts reflecting in high rates of diseases and mortality, limited neurological development and low productivity among current and future generations.
“It is also a major constraint to a country’s ability to develop economically, socially, and politically.
“Women and children living in developing countries are most vulnerable to the broad and devastating effects of hunger.
“Hunger, poverty and disease are interlinked, with each contributing to the presence and persistence of the other two,’’ it said.
Sadly, an International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) report reveals that Nigeria is the world’s largest producer of cassava, yam, and cowpea; yet it is a food-deficit nation and depends on imports of grains, livestock products, and fish.
The report also shows that of an estimated 71 million hectares of cultivable land, only half is currently used for farming.
Lack of infrastructure such as roads further exacerbates poverty in rural areas by isolating rural farmers from needed inputs and profitable markets
The Livelihoods and Economic Recovery Assessment 2016 report, conducted by Oxfam Nigeria on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the North-East shows an alarming hunger and poverty levels in the country.
The UNDP says: “One economically active member of a household sustains 2.3 non-active members, while a majority of them do not have sufficient food supply.
“The average income per household per month is 60 dollars and they spend an average of 42 per cent of their income on food, 26 per cent on education and health services, eight per cent on paying debts, and six per cent on firewood.
“In addition, 46 per cent borrow money to buy food, 41 per cent rely on alternative healthcare, 21 per cent have migrated to other locations, while 20 per cent send their children out to work and beg.
“Income from skilled labour dropped from 21 per cent before the crisis in the region to five per cent’’.
This disheartening report of the North-East epitomises the exact situation of many Nigerians.
Prof Emmanuel Oladipo, a UNDP consultant, notes that it is imperative for farmers to adapt to climate change by using climate resistant seedlings.
Oladipo is the lead consultant of the UNDP’s project on “Targeting Interventions to Foster Sustainable and Resilient Food Security in Nigeria’’.
“To ensure that food insecurity does not add more to the problems that we already have, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is supporting Nigeria to develop and implement food security projects.
“The support is to develop and implement projects in Nigeria to foster sustainable and resilient food security systems in the area of production, marketing, processing and value-chain’’.
He says that the purpose of the project is to ensure that the country’s food production system is preserved, irrespective of unforeseen challenges.
“So, even if there are climatic shocks, the food production system will not be completely wiped out,’’ he said.
Experts have said that a combination of informative, adaptive, behavioural and innovative technological strategies would be required to transform the nation’s agricultural sector to ensure food security.
They emphasised that the government should evolve a robust climate change policy, boost mechanised farming, strengthen the nation’s Agricultural Research Institutes with adequate funding to improve their capacity to produce crop varieties that mature quickly and are drought and flood resistant.
According to them, there is need for the government to embark on continuous sensitisation of the public to develop a green disposition towards the environment.
This, they say, can be achieved through tree planting, reduced gas emissions, putting up embankments, avoid dumping of refuse in drainage channels, clearing blocked drains and desist from building on drainage channels.
There is also the need for the budget of the three levels of government to reflect sincerity in utilising increased agricultural output to end the palpable hunger threat in the country.
By so doing, our actions will lead to more jobs, greater prosperity and better lives while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building climate resilience.
According to Martin Luther King Jr., “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now.
“In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there `is’ such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.’’ (NANFEATURES)