STRATEGIES FOR ENSURING FOOD SECURITY IN LAGOS STATE OF NIGERIA 2015 -2020

Abstract

The study intends to evaluate the strategies for ensuring food security in Lagos state Nigeria. The importance of agriculture to a people, its economy and its place at achieving food security for Lagosian and Nigeria at large cannot be overemphasize. Furthermore, the study looked into food security and insecurity and its indices. It delved into prospects for increased agricultural production and how this can be achieved. Again, it discussed efforts that have been put in place by past Nigerian governments at meeting food need of Nigerians and making the country food secured. It maintained that food shortages in Nigeria are due not primarily to underproduction but agreed that more crops should be grown to meet production shortfall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

Sustainable food security is an access by all people at all times to enough food for an active healthy life at present plus the ability to provide enough for future generation. Issues on food security was brought to lime light in 1974 during the world food conference when it downed on the governments that nations all over the world needs to strategize on how best to improve agricultural production so as to match the per capita needs of the population. Ban Ki Moon, the then UN Secretary General at a World food summit in Rome in 2009, warned that six million children die of hunger every year; 17,000 die of starvation every day and by 2050 the world will need to feed two million more mouths. This has rekindled the idea of achieving sustainable food security in all countries of the world including Nigerian.  he World   Food summit of 1996 defined food security as existing “When all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”. Commonly, the concept of food security is defined as including both physical and economic access to food that meets people’s dietary needs as well as their food preferences. Sustainable development seeks to meet the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to meet those of the future, and Sustainable food security is linked to economic development, trade and the environment. If food security is a crucial and vital aspect of National sustainability, and development Why is it not a Key Policy direction of the Governments of leading nations of the Globe? When you look at the budgets of over 120 governments in the world today the key policy directions range from Defence, Economic Development, Tourism, Science and Research, etc while Food security and Agriculture is given low- budgetary allocation . Treating the issue of food security with levity led to  an avoidable Global food crisis in 2007 that hit Europe, Asia and America due to poor economic policies and prioritization on sustainable food security measures and techniques. It was so severe and acute that price of foodstuffs increased by 20% and countries like Thailand that produce rice, were performing below expected output and production, creating an initial scarcity that instilled fear for rice consumers. In 2004  the Food and Agricultural Organization(FAO) warned that world hunger is back on the increase and was threatening to torpedo international efforts to halve the number of undernourished people by 2015. By its record the number of hungry people worldwide fell by 37m, but the report for the 2003/2004 showed that there was an increase in the number of hungry people to the tune of 18 million, something quite alarming. The  2011  Food and Agricultural Organization admits that food prices had hit a record high in December,2010 surpassing the levels seen during the 2007-08 crisis, which will increase fears of a repetition of complete scarcity of food and low supply, that will accelerate prices  of foodstuff. From the analysis of the FAO the price of foodstuff  and agricultural commodities  like wheat, corn, rice, oilseeds, dairy products, sugar and meats jumped December,2010 to 214.7 points up almost 4.2 percent from November,2010. This index is at its highest since  the measure was first calculated in 1990. This means that consumers by the analysis   may have little choice but to pay price higher prices for their food  and International prices could rise even  more if production next year does not increase significantly. Especially  in Corn, Soybeans and Wheat.

President Susilo Bambang   Yudhono addressing  the 2011  concluded Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland , said that with  a  Global population projected to rise from 7 billion people currently to nine billion people in 2045, there is need for concerted effort  to ensuring food security and availability. He said that the population explosion will effect a race for scarce, which will invariably lead to conflict, chaos, and crisis, but still from davos President Sarkozy called for the regulation of the volatility and speculation of food prices. More scary is the fact that  “Harder times” await the globe if the issue of Global agricultural production, price regulation, speculation and investments in sustainable food security are not given proper attention and priority by Political and Business Leaders. There are three things that can be done to ensure and guarantee Food Security in the Globe before it escalates to an unprecedented crisis level that can pose great dangers to Human Development. First is a Commitment from Leaders in the Globe to increase their Budgetary Allocations to the Agricultural Sectors boosting massive production of crops  like Rice, Wheat, Cassava, Yam, etc and also sustain fish farming . The massive allocation should also be fashioned to provide subsidy for peasant and commercial farmers that are ready to produce   food crops like the Chinese Government of Hu Jintao has done in their 2012 Economic plan. Second is a need to step up the Multilateral and Bilateral agreements and partnerships  that will encourage   Research, Innovation, and Improved Techniques for   Agricultural Production, Effective Food Storage measures that will guarantee food security  across the Globe. When about 50  Leaders across the Globe  gathered in London on February 23rd  to discuss the famine situation in Somalia which is a deplorable one British Prime Minister  David Cameron warned ‘If the rest of us just sit back and look on we will pay a price for doing so’. That has been the attitude of Leaders in the past towards the issue of hunger and food security in the Globe and it is time for a change of paradigm and strategy

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The first essential component of social and economic justice is adequate food production. Even if a nation cannot send cosmonauts to the moon, it should be able to feed her population, only then can it occupy place of pride in the community of nations. Nigeria is a country richly blessed with abundant natural and human resources that if properly harnessed can feed its people and export the surpluses to other countries, yet it is experiencing persistent food crisis both in terms of quantity and quality. Cases of malnutrition and under nutrition are growing by the day. The food intake requirements of majority of Nigerians have fallen far below the international standard, it is on this backdrop that the researcher intends to investigate the strategies in which government can adopt in ensuring food security in Lagos state, Nigeria.

• OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to ascertain the strategies for ensuring food security in Lagos state Nigeria from 2015-2020, but to aid the completion of the study, the researcher intends to achieve the following specific objective:

1. To ascertain the possible ways of ensuring food security
2. To evaluate the effect food security of the economic development of Lagos state

• To investigate the role of government in ensuring food security in Nigeria

1. To investigate if there is any relationship between food security and economic development
   • RESEARCH QUESTIONS

To aid the successful completion of the study, the following research questions were formulated by the researcher;

1. Are there possible ways of ensuring food security in Lagos state, Nigeria?
2. Is there any effect of food security on the economic development of Nigeria?

• Does government has any role to play in ensuring food security in Lagos state?

1. Is there any relationship between food security and economic growth?
   • RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

To aid the completion of the study, the following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher

H₀: there is no way of ensuring food security in Lagos state

H₁: there are possible ways of ensuring food security in Lagos state

H₀²: there is no relationship between food security and economic growth

H₂: there is a relationship between food security and economic growth

 

 

• SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is believed that at the completion of the study, the findings will be of great importance to the government of Lagos state in formulating policies that will aid them in combating the monster called food insecurity as this has a direct relationship with social vices, the study will also be of great benefit to the federal ministry of agriculture and state ministries alike as the study seek to explore the role of agriculture in the economic development of the state and the nation at large, the study will also be of importance to researchers who intends to embark on a similar study as the study will serve as a reference point to other research, finally the study will also be of great importance to student, teachers, lecturers and the general public as the study will also contribute the pool of knowledge.

1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study covers the strategies for ensuring food security in Lagos state Nigeria.

1.8 JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

The World   Food summit of 1996 defined food security as existing “When all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”. Commonly, the concept of food security is defined as including both physical and economic access to food that meets people’s dietary needs as well as their food preferences.

Sustainable development seeks to meet the needs and aspirations of the present without compromising the ability to meet those of the future, and Sustainable food security is linked to economic development, trade and the environment , Food security involves access and availability of food stuff, stability of supplies and the quality of the diet (Honfoga & Van den Boon, 2003). According to FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Food Programme (WFP) (2013), Nigeria have an energy intake of 1730Kcal and an average protein supply of 64g capita per day far below the 2500 – 3400Kcal minimum recommended daily intake per day. This shows that Nigeria is facing the challenge of unbalanced diet leading to various deficiency symptoms. Cases of malnutrition and under nutrition are growing by the day. The food intake requirements of majority of Nigerians have fallen far below the international standard

As part of my requirement for the award of Bachelor of art degree (BA) political science, this study is carried out to ascertain the strategies for ensuring food security in Lagos state Nigeria 2015-2020.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Strategies

Strategy is a high level plan to achieve one or more goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the “art of the general”, which included several subsets of skills including tactics

Food security

Food security is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO ) as: when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

Food insecurity

Food scarcity, with its dangers for survival and serious physical and psychological discomfort, has been part of human experience and human culture from the earliest inception of language and thought

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Adeoti, J.A. (1989), “Economic Crisis in Developing Countries: The Food Dimension”, Ilorin Journal of Business and Social Sciences, Vol. 1.

Akinyosoye, F. (2007), Microbial Biotechnology: A Tovs for Global Development, Inaugural Lecture, Federal University of Technology, Akure.

Atinmo, T. and Adeniran, T. (1999), “Policy Failure in the Search for Food Security in Nigeria” in Ogunrinade, A., Oniangio, R. and May, J. (eds), Not by Bread Alone: Food Security and Governance in Africa, South Africa, Toda, Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research.

Babbie, E. (1998), The Practice of Social Research, Wadswroth Publishing Company, Balmont, CA A17.

Bamisaye, O.A. (1987), “Food Crisis and its Implication in Political Transformation of Nigeria since Independence”, in Stephen, O. Olugbemi (ed), Alternative Political Futures for Nigeria, A publication of the Nigerian Political Publication, Lagos, Nigeria.

Bello, A. (2004), Keynote Address presented by the Honourable Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, at the ARMTI Annual Lecture, Ilorin, March 24, 2004.

Claffey, B. and Stucker, T. (1982), “Food Stamp Program” in Hadwiger, D. and Talbot, R. (eds), Food Policy and Farm Programs, New York, The Academy of Political Science.

Clover, J. (2003), Food Security in Sub-saharan Africa, African Security Review, Vol. 12, No.1.

Dahlbrg, K.A. (1998), “The Global Threat to Food Security”, Urban Age, Winter, Vol. 5, No.3.

 

 

 

 

 

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