In a remarkable stride towards building resilient food systems, a Master of Food Security student at the Murdoch University, Australia, Comfort Onyaga, has secured a prestigious Australia Awards On-Award Enrichment Grant.
This Reintegration Action Plan (RAP) project, funded by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), seeks to address the critical disruption in Nigeria’s food supply chain caused by climate change, rural insecurity, and rapid urbanisation.
Launched against the backdrop of the State of Emergency on Food Security declared by President Bola Tinubu, Onyaga’s initiative is urgently relevant. With rural-to-urban food supplies under increasing strain, soaring cost of food, acute hunger, rural urban migration, food waste, and diminishing indigenous food, the project champions the strengthening of indigenous food systems within urban communities, while promoting sustainability through circular economy practices such as composting.
The initiative will be implemented across three Nigerian states – Ibadan (Oyo State), Gombe (Gombe State), and Owerri (Imo State), empowering young people with hands-on skills in urban farming, composting, food waste reduction, and indigenous food preservation. It also places special emphasis on creating knowledge resources in local languages to broaden community access and foster inclusive participation.
The project, according to Onyaga, is a direct extension of Grow Your Food & Thrive, it is funded under the Students as Change Agents initiative of Murdoch University, through a competitive grant. The project equips university students with skills in container gardening (growing culturally appropriate food) and food upcycling, and composting, closely aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Zero Hunger, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Good Health and Wellbeing.
Reflecting a model of long-term sustainability, Onyaga’s RAP focuses on building a self-sustaining Community of Practice (CoP) for Sustainable Urban Food Security and Circular Food Systems. Even after the pilot project, local implementing teams in Nigeria – Comfort Literacy Intervention & Capacity Enhancement (CLICE) Foundation, Clean Build Climate Action Innovation (Climate Action Africa), Do Grassroots Forum and Citizens Empowerment Foundation (Do-Take Action), Gombe State University, and the Centre for Social Awareness, Advocacy and Ethics (CSAAE) – will continue to drive knowledge-sharing, innovation, and grassroots action ensuring lasting impact.
“Meeting the challenges of sustainable food systems requires equipping the next generation with the skills to grow food, manage waste, and protects indigenous food traditions. This project is about ensuring that food sovereignty is not lost to climate change or rural insecurity, but passed on to my generation and the next.
“The initiative seeks to deepen the bilateral ties between Australia and Nigeria. It embodies both Nigeria and Australia’s national priorities on climate resilience, food security, and food waste reduction, localising these global commitments through practical, community-driven action.”
Onyaga’s work exemplifies the spirit of Ngala Kwop Biddi, Murdoch University’s strategic vision for a better future through sustainability, equity, inclusion, and community engagement. It also demonstrates the deep commitment of the Australia Awards programme to nurturing global change makers who are bridging continents, cultures, and communities through impactful work.
Through her studies and leadership, Onyaga is cultivating more than food security solutions; she is growing a new generation of change makers capable of leading food systems transformation in Nigeria and globally.
