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Insecurity is causing hunger, agric scholars warn 

By Rotimi Agboluaje, Ibadan
29 July 2021   |   2:53 am
As insecurity pervades most of agrarian communities of Oyo State and other parts of the country, agricultural scholars have warned of the consequences

Photo: PATCH

As insecurity pervades most of agrarian communities of Oyo State and other parts of the country, agricultural scholars have warned of the consequences of hunger and malnutrition.

Prof. Femi Ajayi of the Faculty of Agriculture, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, and Dr. Oluwaseun Adeleke of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ibadan, stated this in separate interviews with The Guardian.

Prof. Ajayi said: “Food production is all-encompassing and mostly from the field to the table along a chain of activities. None of these could take place in the wake of insecurity. This is because fields will be abandoned, nothing to transport, processing will be halted, marketing will not be possible and food will not be available on the table. It is exactly as usually experienced in war situations. Lack of security is a serious challenge to food production and eventually promotes hunger and death.

“When production is disrupted and supply of food is reduced without any reduction in demand, the only economic response left will be an increase in prices. When the nation now adopts the importation of foods to quickly supply the deficit, the cost will still be high. Insecurity will definitely result in the high cost of food and thereby threaten food security. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Adeleke said: “Food production in Nigeria is experiencing a downward transition due to several socio-economic and demographic changes like urbanisation, population growth, climate change, land change, loss of habitat and biodiversity, water, soil, air pollution, and insecurity, among others.”

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