To improve the food security situation in the country, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Food Security, Yejide Ogundipe, has emphasised the critical role research institutes and colleges of education must play to boost food production.

Speaking at a quarterly meeting of provosts of national committees of agricultural research institutes and related matters in Abuja, she stressed that ensuring food security requires a multi-sectoral approach, especially in academia.

Ogundipe said the role of research institutes and colleges of agriculture cannot be overstated, as knowledge remains a critical determinant of agricultural productivity.

Globally, academic institutions play an invaluable role in advancing research, technology, and best practices that transform the agricultural sector, she added.

The presidential aide highlighted that one of the major threats to food security in sub-Saharan Africa was climate change, as Nigeria, like many other West African nations, faces the adverse effects of global warming, with desertification threatening arable land in the North and persistent flooding affecting the South, hence the need for research institutes to develop improved crop varieties.

While noting that subsistence farmers still dominate the country’s agricultural landscape, she emphasised the urgent need to attract younger generations to agriculture.