Stakeholders in the agriculture sector of the economy have called for total transformation of the nation’s food systems to prevent hunger and arrest incidence of poverty.

They made the call recently during the 2nd International Conference hosted by the Faculty of Agriculture, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike, Ebonyi State, with the theme, “Transforming National Food Systems to Prevent Hunger” as part of their Food Security and Hidden Hunger series.

While delivering the keynote speech, the Deputy Director-General, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State, Dr. Kenton Daschiell, noted that it was possible to achieve zero hunger in Nigeria if the right systems were put in place. He also opined that zero hunger would be attained in Nigeria when farmers grow what they eat and eat what they grow.

He further revealed that series of meetings have been held by the Zero Hunger Forum championed by former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, in Benue, Borno and Ebonyi states, adding that these interactions have led to increased results in food production and extensive agricultural produce.

Dr. Daschiell also stated that Nigeria has done well in achieving some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing nutritional food that reduces infant mortality among primary school pupils, bio-control products containing beneficial fungi that reduce afflation concentrations in groundnut and maize by 99% compared to untreated crops and increased growth opportunity for cassava products in the food sector. He further acknowledged that Nigeria has an enormous potential for industrialisation through cassava processing.

He, however, pointed out that some of the major bottlenecks that Nigerians were encountering in food production to include high production cost due to low yield, leading to lack of global competitiveness and lack of good road network and new technologies. And stated that, for agricultural sector to close the yield-gap in produce, they must involve new technologies and increase cassava competitiveness to fight hidden hunger in Nigeria.

While declaring the conference open, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba, expressed satisfaction on the academic trajectory being charted by the Faculty of Agriculture of the university, adding that they have made the institution proud by being practical-oriented in the delivery of their academic brief and thereby enhancing food production.

He stressed that transforming national food system demands SMART policymaking and programme formulation which was the reason for the annual conference on Food Security and Hidden Hunger in the university.  He advised government to think out of the box to identify new ways the country should go so that it would not be stocked in the 17th century policy model.

The Vice-Chancellor assured that students of the university would be trained to be productive, employable and employers of labour in the agricultural sector, particularly now that there is a global effort to build a resilient and sustainable food systems for securing a healthy future for everyone.

Also speaking at the event, the Chairman, Local Organising Committee, Professor Dr. Johnny Ogunji, said that hunger may not only be evident in the quantity of food eaten, “as you may eat a lot but still derive nothing from it”. He stressed that the food sector has undergone rapid but unsustainable changes in the last few decades leading to changes in the food eaten, processed and marketed, which has led to high incidence of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension and different degrees of malnutrition among the people. He therefore advised the Nigerian government to ensure the country makes progress in agriculture to end all forms of malnutrition and make food systems more sustainable.

While welcoming the participants, the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Dr. Christiana Igberi, said the university has taken the lead in the transformation of the agricultural sector by creating several hotspots for capacity building, innovative approach and incorporating the indigenous knowledge and local content for adaptability in order to realise the stated goals. She informed the participants that the faculty had embarked on the production of cucumber, maize, pepper, tomatoes and other vegetables through its farm, which has been scientifically tested as safe product though not yet in commercial quantity due to lack of land.

She maintained that every student was meant to engage in practical agricultural activities to complement the theories learnt in class in pursuance of their vision to proffer solution to the alarming food insecurity in the country.

The highlight of the conference, which was chaired by the Director of International Cooperation, Babcok University, Professor Cyril Nwagbuika, includes displaying of some agricultural produce such as packaged cassava flour, packaged “fufu”, cucumber and others from the university farm.

Chemicals are important determinants for sustainable development, sound environmental health and quality of life. But while the use of chemicals in all our human activities including agriculture, health, manufacture contributes to improving the quality of life, it also levied its harmful effects through exposure on workers, consumers, the environment and society at large.

Omar Bah, Registrar of Pesticides and Hazardous Chemical at the National Environment Agency in The Gambia, made this revelation during a regional stakeholder training workshops for law enforcement officers and local communities on the Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs), recently held in Kerewan, NBR.

He noted that the accidental releases from the distribution, consumption and disposal of chemicals may permanently damage soil, water, air, and the ecosystem, not to mention human health.

He however noted that this is why the Gambia Government in partnership with UNEP Special Programme Secretariat is implementing the project as part of the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs),  Basel Convention on control of trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes and their disposal, Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure, Minamata Convention on Mercury, and Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM).

The Gambia, Bah noted, has ratified all the aforementioned conventions with the ultimate aim to protect human health and the environment. He added that The Gambia has recognised the need towards the development of an institutional framework for the sound management of chemicals and waste to enhance implementation at national level. In meeting her obligations under these Conventions, The Gambia had to prepare project proposal and submitted it to the Special Programme Secretariat for funding, he said.

Registrar Bah revealed that the objectives of the workshop is to sensitise stakeholders on the project and its activities, to encourage support, cooperation and commitment from the stakeholders for the implementation of the Project, and to foster inter-institutional and bi-lateral collaborations in the implementation of the MEAs. In addition, he said the objectives also includes enlightening of the people living in the country on sound chemical management.

The National Environment Agency, he posited, has targeted relevant stakeholders including law enforcement officers and community members which aimed at raising public awareness on the situation of chemicals and their related impacts levied on the environment and human health.

Furthermore, Bah outlined that some of the expected outcomes of institutional strengthening through this Special Project are to: promote the adoption, monitoring and enforcement of legislation and regulatory frameworks for the sound management of chemicals and wastes; as well as promote the mainstreaming of the sound management of chemicals and wastes into national development plans, national budgets, policies, legislation and implementation frameworks at all levels, including addressing gaps and avoiding duplications.

He concluded that his office has recognised the importance of the participation of law enforcement officers in realising the said outcomes, pointing out that the forum was held to gain deeper understanding of the chemical conventions since they impact on many sectors, including policy-making, law-making, environmental protection, and public health, industry and the private sector and various interest groups.

Speaking on behalf of the Governor of NBR Alh. Ebrima Dampha, the Deputy Chairman of Kerewan Area Council, Alpha Khan, reiterated and called on the safe utilisation of chemicals to protect human health and the environment. He called on the general populace to avoid buying and selling chemicals that are without labels and are most prevalent within our communities and our weekly local markets called “Lumos”.

Participants were drawn from all sectors of the law enforcement apparatus within the region and representative of the local populace.

By Sheikh Alkinky Sanyang