The NOIPolls, on October 16, released results of its Food Security/Agricultural sector poll carried out in March 2013, in commemoration of the World Food Day.
The study was carried out to determine Food Security and Agricultural sector development in Nigeria.

According to the report released by the organisation, “The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) announced at the beginning of year that the theme for the World Food Day in 2013 is ‘Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition’. According to the FAO, today almost 870 million people worldwide are chronically under-nourished. Unsustainable models of development are degrading the natural environment, threatening ecosystems and biodiversity that will be needed for future food supply.

“A food system is made up of the environment, people, institutions and processes by which agricultural products are produced, processed and brought to consumers. Every aspect of the food system has an effect on the final availability and accessibility of diverse, nutritious foods – and therefore on consumers’ ability to choose healthy diets.

Factors that constrain food supply and food demand invariably affect food security. Agriculture plays an obvious role in providing food and it is also an important source of income to purchase food particularly in rural Nigeria. Since agricultural policy issues and lack of policy implementation affect the food security situation in Nigeria, it is critical that ‘Government plays a more dedicated role in implementing policies that affect food insufficiency, food security and poverty alleviation’”.

Results from the study showed that the majority of the participants, including experts from the agricultural sector, believed that Nigeria had the resources to sufficiently feed its growing population. Experts in the sector, however, claimed that in order for the country to achieve this, certain policies would need to be properly implemented and maintained. 68 percent of the participants, as well as experts in the industry expressed their support towards existing reforms in the sector and acknowledged the efforts of the current Agriculture minister.

Participants in the poll were asked five questions:

1. To what extent do you agree or disagree that Nigeria has the ability to adequately feed her citizens?
Results showed that 90 percent (32% + 58%) of the participants agreed that Nigeria could adequately feed her citizens and seven percent (6% + 1%) disagreed.

2. What can be done to encourage more Nigerians to take up farming as a career?
Majority of the participants, with 40 percent, said that the agricultural sector needed to be supported (government support). 23 percent said farmers should be educated on modern farming techniques and technology and 21 percent said that mechanised farming needed to be promoted.

Experts opined that farming should be included in the education curriculum and introduced to children from a young age. The experts also said that an enabling environment for agri-business should be provided for it to thrive and also the provision of loans to encourage Nigerians to embrace agriculture. They also responded that in Nigeria, agriculture was seen as a job for old persons or those in rural areas but in developed nations, agriculture was viewed as a “big business.”

3. Which of the following programs currently being implemented to support the agricultural sector are you aware of?...

More here>>> http://telegraphng.com/2013/10/nigerians-believe-country-can-feed-despite-looming-food-insecurity/

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