National Convenor, United Nations Food System Summit (UNFSS) and Director of Social Development in the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning (the Planning arm), Dr Sanjo Faniran said food systems transformation was non-negotiable for progress and development in Nigeria.
Faniran, who spoke at the Pre-Food Systems United Nations’ Sock-Taking Moment Media Engagement in Abuja, on Wednesday, explained that pathway towards significant transformations of the Nigeria food system required smart partnership and strong political will.
He stated further that the right policies, governance and business models were also required, adding that Nigerians should arise and participate in farming wherever they were to achieve what he called “Operation Feed Yourself”.
Faniran emphasized promotion of school garden (in schools) to support home grown school feeding programme, homestead garden in the cities, using flower pots, flower space in front of houses to plant vegetables as well as backyard garden that will key all citizens into food production.
He said that the goals of National Food Systems Transformation were to reduce poverty, unemployment, especially among youths, hunger food insecurity and malnutrition, food imports by the year 2030 in addition to promote sustainable food trade, increase women’s empowerment in agriculture index score and increase environmental performance index score.
According to him, in response to a call to action, “Roles have been specified for at least 14 Ministries, Departments and Agencies; four Ministries, Departments and Agencies at the state level and three Ministries, Departments and Agencies at the local government level.”
He said that the federal government had commenced implementation of some priority actions in 2022, including, among others, regular collection and dissemination of information, through radio and other platforms, about weather patterns and soil properties and best practices for crops, livestock, aquaculture, and poultry production through NIMet and Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Faniran said that the federal Government through Local Government Areas promoted “Operation Feed Yourself” by helping households to access information and inputs that would encourage them to produce food around their houses to feed their families.
He announced that on account of the commitment to strengthen the food systems transformation pathways in Nigeria, the country had been rated champion in the Food Systems Coordination Hub, pointing out that at the upcoming Rome Stock-Taking meeting, Nigeria had been asked to lead a high-level session on innovative financing for food systems transformation-Nigeria example in addition to a side event on Scaling Up Multi-Stakeholders Collaboration of the Food Systems Transformation Pathways in Nigeria.
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