The Director General,
Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Dr. Anthony Anuforom has declared that
extreme weather events such as drought, flood and heat waves constitute a
serious threat to food security at both the household, community, regional,
national and global levels.
Dr. Anuforom who made the
declaration Tuesday as Guest Lecturer at the 10th Annual Lecture Series of the
Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Nnamdi Azikilwe University, Awka, said the
threat is as a result of the high vulnerability of agricultural production to
weather variabilities.
Speaking on the
theme, "The Impact of Extreme
Weather Events on Food Security in Nigeria", Anuforom said that throughout
history, the search for food has been the most fundamental human activity, and
has influenced human behavior and activities. He however regretted that man's
quest for food security has continued to be hampered by extreme weather events.
He said in Nigeria,
agriculture is predominantly rain-fed system and therefore highly vulnerable to
rainfall extremes, adding that recurrent droughts since the 1960s,
"particularly those of the 1970s and 1980s, have been a great challenge to
agricultural production and food security in the country".
Flooding, which he noted
is at the opposite extreme end of the spectrum of rainfall, is as devastating
and detrimental to the quest for food security as drought. He said: "In
2012 Nigeria experienced one of the most devastating flooding on record. The
floods destroyed farmlands and other means of livelihood of many households and
killed very large numbers of livestock in the affected areas.
"The floods also
destroyed roads, bridges and other infrastructure. The cumulative effect was a
decrease in the availability as well as economic and physical access to food in
the affected areas". The good news however, according to the DG is that
the impact of extreme weather events on food security in Nigeria can be managed
through "climate change adaptation policies and appropriate economic
framework by government".
He further stated that
weather forecast and climate predictions, such as NiMet's Seasonal Rainfall
Prediction (SRP), as well as other meteorological Early Warning Products
"are useful tools for reducing vulnerability of agriculture and food
security to extreme weather events" in the country.
Anuforom said in view of
the fact that food insecurity could create the atmosphere for, and even fuel
Socio-political instability, policies and programmes for ensuring adequate food
for citizens are usually priorities of governments all over the world, and
commended the present administration's effort in this direction.
"With regard to
economic policy framework, the present federal government, through the Ministry
of Agriculture & Rural Development, has stated that agriculture extension
service will be strengthened as part of the strategies to improve agricultural
yield and food security in the country. This is obviously a laudable policy
direction", the DG declared, stressing:
"To achieve better
results from this policy, agro-meteorological information and weather forecasts
should be incorporated as part of the agricultural extension package given to
farmers; alongside improved seeds, fertilizers, tractors and other physical items.
This will enable farmers to better manage risks associated with weather
extremes", he opined.
In his Welcome address,
the Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Prof. Joel I. Igbokwe said a
nation's development is largely measured on the ability of that nation to feed
her population and guaranty food security for her people at all times,
stressing that extreme weather events can however reduce the ability of any
nation to feed her people if not well monitored and controlled.
He said all over the world,
there is a growing concern that these extreme weather events will have the very
negative impact on global food production, adding that if not properly
monitored, managed and controlled could drastically reduce the ability of
poorer and developing countries, including Nigeria to produce regular crops for
their population.
Describing the timing and
theme of this year's annual lecture as very apt, the Dean further observed that
severe shortage in food production will expose people living in the developing
countries to political and economic instability and conflicts. "It is this
concern that motivated us to select this topic for our annual lecture", he
emphasized.
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