The Federal Government has established an Agriculture and Water Resources Joint Action Committee to tackle the issues of food security and inflation.
Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, announced this initiative during the National Youth Convention held in Abuja on Thursday, organized by the Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progressive and Development Initiative.
Abdullahi emphasized that the initiative aims to advance President Bola Tinubu’s food security agenda. He mentioned that the ministry has begun implementing dry-seeding farming, as relying solely on a six-month rainy season would not suffice to feed the country’s population of over 200 million.
The partnership is designed to promote year-round farming, leveraging Nigeria’s abundant water resources and numerous river-basin development authorities to ensure food security and self-sufficiency.
He outlined plans for collaboration between both ministries and the River Basin Development Authorities, integrating agricultural experts to enhance farmers’ livelihoods, boost production, and encourage youth and private sector participation. The Ministry of Water Resources will contribute valuable assets, including water resources, land, and technical expertise, to support food production efforts.
Currently, the ministry is working closely with farmers to eliminate obstacles that hinder their ability to take advantage of available resources. Abdullahi also acknowledged recent flooding in some states, attributing it to climate change challenges, and affirmed the ministry’s commitment to establishing sustainable dry-season farming practices.
He said that the country was blessed with abundant water resources and so many river-basin development authorities that should be harnessed for all-year-round farming in order to ensure food security and self-sufficiency.
He said, “We have approved the Agriculture and Water Resource Joint Action Committee which will be looking at food security to enable us to take on dry-season farming in most of the river basins.
“Our plan is to see how both ministries can collaborate with the River Basin Development Authorities, integrating agricultural experts to enhance farmer livelihoods, increase production and incentivise youth and private sector participation.
“The Ministry of Water Resources brings valuable assets, including water resources, land and technical expertise to the partnership; together, we aim to synergy our efforts which provide seeds, inputs and farm machinery essential for food production.
“Currently, we are working with all the farmers in those areas and also working to make sure we remove the things that are constraining the farmers to utilise the opportunity in those areas. This will enable us to maximise the benefit of these God-given resources.’’
Abdullahi acknowledged the recent flooding that has affected several states, attributing it to the challenges posed by climate change.
He highlighted that the ministry’s response is to ensure the sustainability of dry-season farming practices, as it allows for greater control over water management, crop selection, and cultivation methods.
This article was written by Tamaraebiju Jide, a student at Elizade University
