Food Insecurity in Nigeria

A few weeks ago, a thought occurred to me. It is a privilege to have a choice and preference when it comes to food and feeding. For some people, especially in a country like Nigeria, food is rarely a thing to be enjoyed. There are limited choices for many, due to many factors, some of which are poverty, population growth, climate change, civil conflict and inflation.  

This idea is known as food inequality or food insecurity. Food insecurity means that a person does not have access to or knowledge of the different food types/items that they need for nutrition and or survival. While it is a global issue, we are looking at how it affects Nigerians specifically. 

In 2019, Nigeria was revealed to be the poverty capital of the world, with over 82 million Nigerian living on less than $1 a day.  According to the 2019 Global Hunger Index, a tool designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels, Nigeria’s case of food insecurity is quite serious. 

With such bleak statistics, it is obvious that many Nigerians face food insecurity. With the Coronavirus and its effects on the economy, the United Nations estimates that there will be a surge in food insecurity all over the world. 

The people who are most susceptible to food insecurity in Nigeria are people in rural and isolated areas, the unemployed or low-income earners, the homeless, the ill and the poor. 

What then is a sustainable solution to the major problem of food insecurity in Nigeria?

A few theories have been published to the effect of ideas that can solve the long-term problem of food insecurity in Nigeria.

The most common thread in all of these theories is that the agriculture sector needs to be improved, sustainable food markets should be developed and goals for food security should be set and reviewed yearly. 

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