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Food Availability, Food Affordability, and Reasons Stakeholders Urged FG to Tackle Insecurity

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INTRO: The reasons stakeholders urged FG to tackle insecurity were central to discussions at the 9th Vanguard Economic Discourse in Lagos on Wednesday, where agricultural leaders warned that rising insecurity, weak purchasing power, and broken value chains are crippling food security, and urged the Federal Government (FG) to take actions in addressing the heightened insecurity in Nigeria. Here are five key reasons stakeholders urged FG to tackle insecurity and reform the sector.

1. Insecurity Has Slashed Farm Production Nationwide: The most direct of the reasons stakeholders urged FG to tackle insecurity is its impact on output. AFAN President Muhammed Magaji Gattado said, “Insecurity has prevented our farmers from going to farms. The rate of production has reduced.” With farmers abandoning fields due to attacks and herder-farmer clashes, food supply is shrinking. Gattado urged the Federal Government to adopt proactive measures, including a conflict prevention committee, citing Gombe State’s success in reducing farmer-herder conflict.

2. Food Availability and Affordability Crisis: Kebram Farms founder Kabir Ibrahim stressed another of the reasons stakeholders urged FG to tackle insecurity: it drives up costs and erodes purchasing power. “There is food in Nigeria but most people cannot afford it… purchasing power is very low,” he said. Insecurity disrupts logistics, increases transport risk, and raises prices, making food inaccessible even when it exists. Tackling insecurity would help stabilize supply chains and prices.

3. Youth Participation in Agriculture Is Declining: Representing Agriculture Minister Abubakar Kyari, Maruf Ajenifuja highlighted that youth inclusion “has not been encouraging” in the last ten years. Insecurity is a major deterrent, and it’s among the reasons stakeholders urged FG to tackle insecurity now. Young people avoid rural farming areas perceived as unsafe. Ajenifuja said government wants to “tap into them and make them the backbone of the sector,” but that requires secure farms, roads, and markets.

4. Weak Value Chains and Poor Investment Climate: The panel agreed that agriculture must shift from subsistence to agribusiness. Xtralarge Farms GMD Moji Davids warned of a global food challenge by 2028 and said, “We need to shift attention from farming as passion to farming as a business.” Insecurity scares off private investment and disrupts processing, access to market, and distribution. That’s why one of the reasons stakeholders urged FG to tackle insecurity is to unlock public-private partnerships and value addition. IFAD Country Director Dede Ekoue added that youths can drive processing and marketing, but only in a stable environment.

5. States and Private Sector Can’t Fill the Gap Alone: Stakeholders stressed that funding through the national budget “cannot cater for the needs of all Nigerians,” and called for private sector support. However, Ibrahim noted “Agriculture is a rural vocation” and urged states to dedicate IGR to the sector. Still, without security, private capital stays away. This structural gap is the fifth of the reasons stakeholders urged FG to tackle insecurity: coordinated federal action is needed to protect farmers, de-risk investment, and enable value chain development.

Conclusion

The reasons stakeholders urged FG to tackle insecurity converge on one point: food security requires physical security. From conflict prevention committees to youth programs in the Niger Delta, the panelists at the Vanguard Economic Discourse called for urgent reforms. Without safe farms, stable pricing, and secure rural communities, Nigeria’s N2.5trn agric export deficit and looming food challenges will only deepen.

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