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Elvis O. Aigbogun
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Food Crisis in NIGERIA
June 25, 2008 - 05:45 AM
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President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has stated that Nigeria is among the worst hit by the shortage of food occasioned by land degradation and climate change.
The president made the remarks yesterday while declaring this year's National Desertification Summit in commemoration of the World Desertification Day held at the Multi-purpose Hall, Bauchi.
He said the summit is quite appropriate at this moment given the current global food crisis, saying the administration will not fold its arms in the face of the rise in food prices being experienced in the country.
"We have ensured increase in budgetary provisions in the 2008 fiscal year with the aim of improving not only the agricultural production but also other sectors of the seven-point agenda in the country. Let me say that climate change is the major contributing factor to desertification, therefore tree planting became the only solution and contributing factor to desertification not only in the country but the world over," he said.
He called on every Nigerian to at least plant a tree to cool the earth, considering that the Federal Government has put measures, especially through the establishment of different agencies, to tackle specific environment problems.
Yar'Adua, who was represented by the Minister of Environment, Housing and Urban development, Arc. Halima Tayo Alao, applauded the members of the National Assembly for encouraging the establishment of various agencies in the country that could tackle issues relating to land degradation in the country. He then commended the Bauchi State government for hosting this year's submit.
He, however, challenged primary and secondary level of government and private sectors, including international development partners, to support his administration to achieve the sustainable environment and the seven- point agenda of the present administration as the only way to effectively deliver the much-awaited dividends of democracy.
Earlier speaking, the Bauchi State Governor, Malam Isa Yuguda, said the summit is to enable the people living especially in the Sahara area to benefit from the government's programmes and to feel the impact of the government at any level.
He called on the Federal Government to provide a lasting solution towards tree felling in the country. He commended the government for providing all the necessary assistance towards the sustenance of the programme in the country.
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Always Colin
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Re: Food Crisis in NIGERIA
July 12, 2008 - 11:43 PM
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I wonder if the Nigerian government has certain laws in place that limit the amount of clear cutting in a given area? It would seem pointless to suggest that each citizen plant a tree if millions are being clear cutting from the earth. Could someone clarify this for me?
It's not so much a problem of food shortages anymore, it's a distribution problem. What world leaders will not discuss is the sharing of resources to feed the hungry nations of the world. There IS enough food on this planet to feed over 6 billion, it's just getting it to where it is needed is the problem.
While garbage dumps in the Northern states fill with billions of tonnes of discarded food, entire families in the Southern states wonder where their next meal will come from.
This is a good post, thank you for bringing it to our attention.
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Kiara
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Re: Food Crisis in NIGERIA
July 17, 2008 - 01:21 AM
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I think that small resource famers should be given more financal support and suplies in the more impoverished areas in that part of nigeria. The way I see it is the more resources and farming they can get done with [money from the country and more labor forces] that would increase the food supply and decrease famine.
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Tosin O.
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Re: Food Crisis in NIGERIA
July 17, 2008 - 10:26 AM
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I am not too sure there are 'strong' rules governing the amount of clear cutting in Nigeria.  However, the suggestion by Yar'Adua that ". .every Nigerian should plant atleast a tree to cool the earth" isn't bad either. But is this the best option? and how soon are the people going to respond to this injunction? Combating present environmental challenges like desertification, demands urgency and prompt action, because desertification is a threat to biodiversity and I think if we must act, then, we should do it right and timely.
To reduce the rate of desertification, we need to concentrate more on encouraging and supporting local sustainable farming, Address the root cause of land modification such as overgrazing, Moreso, farmers should be encouraged to grow leguminous plants which in turn help fix Nitrogen and restore soil fertility, building of sand fences, providing alternatives to the use of firewood for cooking etc. Since Climate change isn't the only factor responsible for this, hence our focus shouldn't be narrow-minded.
Other factors responsible for desertification are overgrazing, deforestation, increased soil salinity, over cultivation, increased fire frequency, water impoundment, overdrafting of groundwater, and global climate change.
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Lindsay Beaudoin
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Re: Food Crisis in NIGERIA
July 18, 2008 - 07:19 PM
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This is Horrible! I think the goverment should be trying to do alot more than what they are doing now, this is serious.
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Nonso
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Re: Food Crisis in NIGERIA
August 6, 2008 - 06:01 AM
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I think the govt has a lot to do but we have a problem. The federal govt is better satisfied with its on going probe than the food crisis. Rather than releasing so much funds here and there to give room for inflation, i will advise the FG to tackle this problem in the longrun.
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Tamunobarabi
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Re: Food Crisis in NIGERIA
August 13, 2008 - 12:41 PM
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When the food crisis was on, I heard a friend say that there can not be such experience in Nigeria.He was short of the knowlege on what food supply level that the country has and the comsumption pattern of Nigerians.
His attitude is typical of thinking of requisite agriculture activity regulating agencies.
I believe that the shortage of food that was evntually experienced is an indictation of the level of neglect that the agriculture sector has suffered.
What the government did was to provide fund to subsidize importation of rice and the farmers cried out that the fund would have been given to them as incentive.
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Tamunobarabi
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Re: Food Crisis in NIGERIA
August 13, 2008 - 12:42 PM
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[b][quote]
tamsgogo wrote:
When the food crisis was on, I heard a friend say that there can not be such experience in Nigeria.He was short of the knowlege on what food supply level that the country has and the comsumption pattern of Nigerians.
His attitude is typical of thinking of requisite agriculture activity regulating agencies.
I believe that the shortage of food that was evntually experienced is an indictation of the level of neglect that the agriculture sector has suffered.
What the government did was to provide fund to subsidize importation of rice and the farmers cried out that the fund would have been given to them as incentive.
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