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…Provide Relevant Agricultural Programmes

Stakeholders have called on the government at all levels to prioritise climate change actions and increase responsiveness to climate-induced emergencies, including food security.

They made the call at the annual stakeholders’ interactive Forum and 30th year of RUDEP existence in Osogbo Osun State capital organised by a non-governmental organization, the Justice, Development and Peace Makers’ Centre (JDPMC), Osogbo.

The participants posited that extreme climatic incidences, like droughts, and desertification have reduced arable land, affected agricultural productivity and plunged citizens into poverty.

In his welcome address, JDPMC Coordinator, Rev. Fr. Peter Akinkunmi said Nigeria faces significant food security challenges exacerbated by escalating conflicts, economic instability, and atypical food prices.

This, according to him, was orchestrated as a result of population growth, insecurity and climate change that continue to drive hunger in the country.

“The fact that we are overburdened by the crisis of insecurity all over, climate change, population growth, these are very serious issues which do not give us the luxury of wasting resources.

“It is very important that we manage time, we manage opportunities, manage resources both human and material and make sure they are properly channeled towards results. We do not have the luxury of time or the privilege to allow problems to fester, if we don’t handle things the way they should, we are only giving the problems the ground to escalate.

“The issue of food crisis affects communities in different ways, in South West Nigeria, our food production level is very poor when compared with other parts of the country. If you look at the extreme North where issues of security crisis are pronounced, they still have high food production rates in these parts.

“But we are being challenged by the problem of insecurity and climate change, we have a very low food production rate and this is why we are relying on food from the Northern part of the country. Technical knowledge on how to manage the issues of climate change, and proper knowledge to be able to improve food production is very important. Extension service production.

“These farmers need experts who will stand by them and guide them and assist them in knowing how to respond to situations when they arise.

“Management of storage is another issue. Even if it’s modular facilities that can help communities to manage harvest. Sustainable Farmers Association, we need to also tell them the right time to plant.

“Knowledge at every level of the agricultural chain is important. The right time to plant, the right quantity and the species

“To tackle Harvest loss. Storage facilities. Farmers and pastoralists should not be enemies. They have peace in their communities”.

President, Sustainable Farmers’ Association, Elder. Adewumi Adelowo
said climate change has severely impacted the sector, leading to decreased food production.

While urging the government to find lasting solutions to the problem of insecurity, Adelowo said many farmers in some parts of the country seized to go into farming due to the problem of insecurity.