Vice President Yemi Osinbajo submitted that one way to rid Nigeria of poverty is a dedication to providing sustainable food systems.
He said this in Abuja on Tuesday at the National Consolidatory Dialogue convened by the Permanent Secretary, Budget & National Planning, Chair, National Committee on Food and Nutrition, Olusola Idowu.
Osinbajo stated that for the Federal Government to achieve its goal of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, it would need to prioritise the improvement of agriculture and food systems.
He suggested that the country adopted a more mechanised system of farming, as it was “absolutely important”.
He said, “It is now up to us from here on to own the process and translate the recommendations of these dialogues to prompt action. This would mean embracing the challenges required for modernization, farming practices where mechanization is absolutely important.
“We must ensure that we practice environmentally sustainable production and must empower communities by creating jobs and livelihoods to sustain the food systems that we desire.
“For the government of Nigeria, our commitment to sustainable food systems is one of the key strategies for eliminating poverty across Nigeria.
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“We know that our target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within the decade is achievable only if we focus on substantially improving agriculture and food systems.
“This perspective of addressing hunger, nutrition and poverty runs through all our policy frameworks, including the recently launched National Poverty Reduction Programme.”
He added that “We must realize that defining bold steps to improve food systems and by extension food security, ensures that children have improved health and early development and increased intellectual and emotional resilience to learn.
“This translates to positive school engagements and improved the potential of children growing healthier.
“On the other hand, imagine a generation of adult who suffered arrested physical and mental development and the social and economic burden on the families, on the communities and the nation.”
