Journal of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development

Vol. 6(2), pp. 808-820, August, 2020. © www.premierpublishers.org, ISSN: 2167-0477

Review Article

Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and

Development
Idris A. Ayinde1, Olutosin A. Otekunrin1*, Sakiru O. Akinbode2, Oluwaseun A. Otekunrin3
1Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB),
Nigeria
2Department of Economics, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Nigeria
3Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

One of the most important and crucial debates in the world today is how to provide sufficient food for
over seven billion people in the world. In 2019, 690 million people were suffering from hunger globally
while about 135 million people in 55 countries and territories were suffering from acute food insecurity
with Africa accounting for 73 million of this figure. Food insecurity is one of the major challenges of
most African governments occasioned by an increasing number of people living in extreme poverty,
high-level corruption, incidences of conflicts/terrorism, low level of human capital and unfavorable
climate change in the region. Nigeria has the highest number of people living in extreme poverty
globally. The Global Food Security Index (GFSI) rank of Nigeria has been on the increase since 2013
while it was ranked 94th among 113 countries in 2019. Nigeria is facing the challenge of food insecurity,
especially in the northeastern and north-central states where conflicts/insurgency, kidnapping, armed
banditry, cattle rustling and weather extremes are aggravating the food insecurity situation. This paper
therefore recommends that the Nigerian government should redouble efforts aimed at improving food
production and processing activities to ensure food security across the states and also boost exports.
Keywords: Food insecurity; Malnutrition; Hunger; Economic Development; Africa; Poverty; Social Protection

INTRODUCTION

One of the most challenging issues in the world today is
how to provide sufficient food to more than seven billion
people around the globe. Food security is a complex,
multifaceted concept usually influenced by culture,
environment and geographical location (EIU, 2018). The
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
(FAO) gave a clear definition of “food security at five
different levels (individual, household, national, region and
global) as “when all people, at all times, have physical and
economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to
meet their dietary needs and food preferences for active
and healthy life” (FAO, 1996; Perez-Escamilla et al.
2017a).
The United Nations (UN) in September 2015 at its General
Assembly adopted the resolution of the agenda for
sustainable development and the resolution birthed 17
goals referred to as Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) (UN, 2017a). The SDG Goal 2 (SDG 2) as one of
the food security goals, was set to address the importance
of food security and nutrition within the wider agenda, and
calls member States to “end hunger, achieve food security
and improve nutrition, and promote sustainable
agriculture” by 2030. The SDG 2 has five principal targets
and three implementing mechanisms (UN, 2017b; IITA,
2017; Otekunrin et al. 2019a, b).
In 2019, it was revealed that close to 690 million (8.9%
percent world population) people are estimated to be
undernourished globally. This (Table 1A & 1B) showed
that the number of hungry people continued to rise
steadily since 2014 and projected to increase to 841.4 (9.8
percent) million where Africa will have 51.5% (433.2
million) share, the highest number of undernourished
people globally by 2030 (FAO et al. 2020).
*Corresponding Author: Olutosin A. Otekunrin,
Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm
Management, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta
(FUNAAB), Nigeria E-mail: otekunrinolutosin@yahoo.com

Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development

Ayinde et al. 809

However, considering the number of people in food crises
around the world, the 2020 Global Report on Food Crisis
(GRFC 2020) reported that about 135 million people in 55
countries and territories are suffering from acute food
insecurity while 73 million of this figure are from 36
countries in Africa (FSIN, 2020; Otekunrin et al.,
2020a,b,c).
Heady and Ecker (2012) reported that there are about 250
definitions and 450 indicators of food security but the most
widely accepted definition of “food security” is the one from
FAO which evolved after the 1996 World Food Summit
which states that “food security exists when all people, at
all times, have physical, social and economic access to
sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary
needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”
(FAO, 1996). X-raying the definition reveals the multi-
dimensional nature of the food security concept. Food
sufficiency focuses on the availability and adequate
quantities of food of appropriate quality; physical and
economic access focuses on individuals’ access to
sufficient food; the security aspect relates to food
utilization by the body, food safety, risks involved among
other factors while food stability relates to time-bound
aspect of food availability, access and utilization (Ike et al.
2015). These key variables have been widely accepted as
the four major dimensions of food security (i.e. food
availability, access, utilization and stability) (De Haen et al.
2011; Jones et al. 2013; Heady and Ecker, 2012; Ike et al.
2015).
On the other hand, food insecurity may be
referred to as the absence of one or more of these
components. Food insecurity is conventionally classified
into two categories; chronic and transitory, while seasonal
food insecurity falls in-between the two (FAO, 2008; Jones
et al. 2013).

Table 1A: Number of Undernourished people in the world (2005-2019)

2005 2010 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* 2030**
WORLD 825.6 668.2 653.3 657.6 653.2 678.1 687.8 841.4
AFRICA 192.6 196.1 216.9 224.9 231.7 236.8 250.3 433.2
Northern Africa 18.3 17.8 13.8 14.4 15.5 15.0 15.6 21.4
Sub-Saharan Africa 174.3 178.3 203.0 210.5 216.3 221.8 234.7 411.8
Eastern Africa 95.0 98.1 104.9 108.4 110.4 112.9 117.9 191.6
Middle Africa 39.7 40.0 43.5 45.8 47.2 49.1 51.9 90.5
Southern Africa 2.9 3.2 4.4 5.1 4.5 5.2 5.6 11.0
Western Africa 36.9 37.0 50.3 51.2 54.2 54.7 59.4 118.8
ASIA 574.7 423.8 388.8 381.7 369.7 385.3 381.1 329.2
Central Asia 6.5 4.8 2.1 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.0 n.r
Eastern Asia 118.6 60.6 n.r n.r n.r n.r n.r n.r
South-eastern Asia 97.4 70.1 66.7 63.9 63.4 64.2 64.7 63.0
Southern Asia 328.0 264.0 263.1 256.2 245.7 261.0 257.3 203.6
Western Asia 24.3 24.2 27.6 29.2 29.5 30.4 30.8 42.1
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 48.6 39.6 38.8 42.4 43.5 46.6 47.7 66.9
Caribbean 8.4 7.2 7.4 7.3 7.1 7.3 7.2 6.6
Latin America 40.1 32.4 31.4 35.1 36.3 39.3 40.5 60.3
Central America 11.8 12.4 13.4 14.7 14.4 14.7 16.6 24.5
Southern America 28.4 20.0 18.0 20.4 21.9 24.6 24.0 35.7
OCEANIA 1.9 2.0 2.2 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 3.4
NORTHERN AMERICA AND EUROPE n.r n.r n.r n.r n.r n.r n.r n.r
Source: FAO et al. 2020
Note: *Projected values, ** Projected values up to 2030. n.r means “not reported”

Table 1B: Prevalence of Undernourishment (2005-2019)

Prevalence of undernourishment (%)
2005 2010 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019* 2030**
WORLD 12.6 9.6 8.9 8.8 8.7 8.9 8.9 9.8
AFRICA 21.0 18.9 18.3 18.5 18.6 18.6 19.1 25.7
Northern Africa 9.8 8.8 6.2 6.3 6.6 6.3 6.5 7.4
Sub-Saharan Africa 23.9 21.3 21.2 21.4 21.4 21.4 22.0 29.4
Eastern Africa 32.2 28.9 26.9 27.1 26.8 26.7 27.2 33.6
Middle Africa 35.5 30.4 28.2 28.8 28.7 29.0 29.8 38.0
Southern Africa 4.9 5.4 7.0 8.0 7.0 7.9 8.4 14.6
Western Africa 13.8 12.1 14.3 14.2 14.6 14.3 15.2 23.0

Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development

ASIA 14.4 10.1 8.8 8.5 8.2 8.4 8.3 6.6
Central Asia 11.0 7.7 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.7 < 2.5
Eastern Asia 7.6 3.8 < 2.5 < 2.5 < 2.5 < 2.5 < 2.5 < 2.5
South-eastern Asia 17.3 11.7 10.5 10.0 9.8 9.8 9.8 8.7
Southern Asia 20.6 15.4 14.4 13.8 13.1 13.8 13.4 9.5
Western Asia 11.8 10.4 10.7 11.1 11.1 11.2 11.2 13.1
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 8.7 6.7 6.2 6.7 6.8 7.3 7.4 9.5
Caribbean 21.3 17.5 17.3 17.0 16.6 17.0 16.6 14.4
Latin America 7.8 5.9 5.4 6.0 6.1 6.6 6.7 9.1
Central America 8.1 7.9 7.9 8.6 8.3 8.4 9.3 12.4
South America 7.6 5.1 4.4 4.9 5.2 5.8 5.6 7.7
OCEANIA 5.6 5.4 5.5 5.9 6.0 5.7 5.8 7.0
NORTHERN AMERICA AND EUROPE < 2.5 < 2.5 < 2.5 < 2.5 < 2.5 < 2.5 < 2.5 < 2.5
Source: FAO et al. 2020
Note: *Projected values, ** Projected values up to 2030.

Chronic food insecurity is a long-term or persistent
situation where people can no longer meet their minimum
food requirement over a sustained period of time while
transitory food insecurity is commonly short-term or
temporary and it relates to short periods of extreme
scarcity of food availability and access (Barrett and Sahn,
2001; Hart, 2009; Afolabi et al. 2018).
It is common wisdom that food insecurity is a necessary
but not sufficient condition for nutrition security. Food
insecurity is a major determinant of nutrition insecurity and
poor psychosocial, cognitive and mental health outcomes
(Jones et al. 2013; Gubert et al. 2016). Nutrition security
relates to care, health and hygiene practices in addition to
food security (Jones et al., 2013). The FAO defines
nutrition security as “A situation that exists when secure
access to an appropriately nutritious diet is coupled with a
sanitary environment, adequate health services and care,
in order to ensure a healthy and active life for all household
members” (FAO et al. 2012).
Evolution of Food Security
The term “food security” is an important phenomenon with
a global recognition. It was first discovered as a concept of
food supply in which at that time, food crisis led to
concerns that global food supply shortages might bring
about political instability (Simmons and Saundry, 2012). It
was recognized at that time that food availability remained
a fundamental component of comprehending what food
security meant, and it was realized that food availability
was not a sufficient condition for access to food at
household level (Jones et al., 2013). Sen (1981) opined
that the poor usually lack “entitlement” to food due to spike
in food prices and reduced demand for wage labor. The
1974 World Food Summit definition of food security (UN,
1975; Jones et al. 2013) emphasized availability of food
at all times but this was revised in 1983 to include physical
and economic access to basic food (FAO, 1983)
Food security further evolved as a concept that did not
include only national levels but also involved household
and individual distributions (Webb et al. 2006; Ayinde, et
al. 2011; Nathalie, 2012; Ike et al. 2015). This food access
at household levels continued to gain relevance with the
understanding that household is a key social unit through
which people access their food (Ayinde, et al. 2010; Ike et
al. 2015). Also, food utilization was recognized as a third
component of food security, which reflects differences in
the allocation of food within the households, the national
quality of food and variation in absorption and metabolism
of food nutrients by individuals within the household.
Moreover, at the 1996 World Food Summit, the food
security definition was further revised and it clearly spelt
out the importance of diet quality at the individual level, not
only at the household level (FAO, 1996). The FAO (1996)
food security definition later became the widely accepted
definition which incorporated not only the three domains of
food security discussed above (availability, access and
utilization) but included the phrase “at all times” which
reiterated the fourth, less commonly accepted domain of
food security, i.e., the stability of food security over time
(Barrett, 2010; Jones et al. 2013).
Measuring Food Security
Diverse food security metrics abound in the literature. The
challenges, however, are the identification of the
underlying construct(s) a particular metric is targeting and
its intended use. These determine the choice of a metric in
any given situation. Some food security metrics, measured
domains and purposes to which they are commonly used
are presented in Table 2.

Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development

Ayinde et al. 811

Table 2: Some Food Security measurements, measured domains and their uses
Dimensions Metric Domains Nature Of Unit Of Uses
Metric Analysis
Prevalence of Outcome Macro Comparisons across countries;
undernourishment Physical global/regional governance of food
Availability security; advocacy tool
Availability Global Food Security Physical Determinant Macro Comparisons of food security status
Index (GFSI) availability and Outcome across countries; their
determinants and outcomes
Global Hunger Index Physical Outcome Macro Assessment of hunger situation in
Availability different countries
Relative dietary supply Physical Outcome Macro Advocacy tool, cross-country
index Availability comparisons; global/regional
governance
Global Food Security Economic access Determinant Macro Comparisons of food security status
Index (GFSI) and Outcome across countries; their
determinants and outcomes
Share of food Outcome Macro Comparisons across countries;
expenditure by the Economic Access advocacy tool; global/regional
poor governance of food security
Household Economic access Determinant Macro Measure income, consumer price
Consumption and Micro indices, socioeconomic status, and
Expenditure Surveys food and non-food expenditures;
Accessibility (HCESs) Provide complementary data to
food balance sheet data to facilitate
cross-national comparisons and
subnational analyses
Domestic Food Price Economic Access Determinant Macro Provide cross-country comparisons
Volatility
Household Food Economic Access Determinant Macro Assess food security status within
Insecurity Access (Anxiety; Food and Outcome Micro regions or households; Monitor and
Scale (HFIAS) Preference; Food evaluate the impact of food security
quantity) interventions.
Coping Strategies Economic Access Determinant Macro Target food aid and monitor its
Index (CSI) Micro impact
Global Food Security Food quality, Determinant Macro Comparisons of food security status
Index (GFSI) Food safety and Outcome across countries; their determinants
and outcomes
Household Dietary Food quality Determinant Macro Assess household level dietary
Diversity Score Micro diversity and its changes over time
(HDDS)
Minimum Dietary Food quality Outcome Micro Measures proportion of women who
Diversity for Women achieved minimum dietary
(MDD-W) requirement in the last 24 hours
Utilization Children under 5 Food quality Outcome Micro Measures proportion of children
Dietary Diversity Score under 5 years who achieved
(CDDS) minimum dietary requirements in
the last 24 hours
Coping Strategies Food quality Determinant Macro Target food aid and monitor its
Index (CSI) Micro impact and long-term changes in
food security
Household Food quality Determinant Macro Measure income, consumer price
Consumption and Micro indices, socioeconomic status, and
Expenditure Surveys food and non-food expenditures;
(HCESs) provide cross-country comparisons
and subnational analyses

Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development

 Anthropometry Nutritional Status Outcome Micro percentage of children under 5
years of age affected by stunting,
wasting, underweight
percentage of adults who are
underweight
Coping Strategies Vulnerability Determinant Macro Identify vulnerable households
Index (CSI) Micro

Domestic Food Price Vulnerability Determinant Macro Provide cross-country comparisons

Stability Volatility
National food Vulnerability Determinant Macro Percentage of arable land equipped
production statistics for irrigation

National food Shock Determinant Macro Per capital food production

production statistics variability; per capital food supply
variability
Adapted from: Okuneye et al. 2005; Jones et al. 2013; Ike et al. 2015

Link between Food Security and Development with serious repercussions for planetary health (i.e., the
health of human civilization and the state of the natural
National development simply means a sustained systems on which it depends). Food security is related to
improvement in the standard of living in the country as all of the United Nations SDGs. Improved food security
depicted economically, by sustained growth in per capita governance based on sound, sustainable and equitable
income. Economic development is brought about by agricultural is essential for countries to meet the SDGs
sustained economic growth, which is characterized by high (Perez-Escamilla, 2017b).
efficiency and productivity of resources invested in
production (Ayinde, 2019) Food and nutrition security embraces meeting energy,
protein and nutrient needs for healthy life. Food systems
It is a fact widely acclaimed that no country can achieve overlap with agricultural systems in the area of food
economic development without agricultural development. production, but also comprise the diverse set of
This is achieved through achieving food security and institutions, technologies and practices that govern the
sustainability in the provision of abundance crop and way food is marketed, processed, transported, accessed
livestock (food accessibility, food affordability, food and consumed. The food system activities are grouped
utilization and food quality), to meet local consumption, into four categories: producing food, processing and
raw materials for the processing industries, national packaging food, distributing and retailing food, and
reserves and export (Ayinde, 2019). consuming food (Capone et. al. 2014). Figure 1 shows
very clearly, the pictorial representation of the link between
Food insecurity and its derivatives are used as economic
food security, human capital development and national
development indicators because of the positive linear
development.
correlation that exists between the two (Otekunrin et al.
2019a); this informs its prominent mention in the SDGs.
Examples of food security-related indicators of
development include but not limited to:
a) Prevalence of stunting and wasting of under-age
children .
b) Under-five years children mortality rate.
c) Infant mortality rate
d) Maternal mortality rate
e) Proportion of total water resources used
For Nigeria to develop, food security growth must be
sustained. An increase in production activities in the
industrial, mining, metallurgy sub-sector, especially if it
promotes export (like the case of Nigeria been a net
exporter of urea) must, without doubt, put food on the table
of average Nigeria. No economy can thrive sustainably
without improving the human capital component of the
economy (Otekunrin 2011; Awoyemi et al. 2015; Ayinde,
2019).
Figure 1: Precursors food insecurity (FI), human capital
Food insecurity negatively affects human physical, social, development and national development (SDGs). Source:
emotional, and cognitive development throughout the life Built from SDGs; UN Sustainable Development Goals
course and is a major social and environmental disruptor Data. Cited by Perez-Escamilia, R. (2017b).

Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development

Ayinde et al. 813
Food Insecurity and Underdevelopment Features of
Nigeria
Nigeria, according to World Data Lab (6 May 2020) has an
estimated population of 205,323,520 persons and has
102,407,327 people living in extreme poverty (50% of the
total population) (World Data Lab, 2020). Nigeria is
unarguably the most populous nation in Africa and ranked
number 7 globally with an estimated growth rate of 2.43
percent per annum and a high dependency ratio of 88
percent. According to Worldometer, Nigeria’s population is
equivalent to 2.64% of the total world population and it is
projected to reach 401million by 2050. (NPC/NBC, 2018;
Otekunrin et al. 2019a; Worldometer, 2020; World Data
Lab, 2020).
In 2014, Nigeria, the 10th largest crude oil producer in the
world, achieved a status of a middle-income country. In
spite of Nigeria’s oil wealth, 50% of Nigerians total
population live in extreme poverty within poverty threshold
of $1.90 per day (World Data Lab 6 May, 2020). Food
insecurity in Nigeria is currently at alarming rate calling for
urgent and immediate intervention. Figure 2 shows that
Nigeria’s ranking in Global Food Security Index (GFSI) has
continued to increase since 2013 (ranked 86 among 107
countries with 33/100 score) and reached a disturbing rank
of 94 (with 48.4/100 score) among 113 countries behind
Ethiopia, Niger and Cameroon in 2019 GFSI overall
ranking table (the closer to 100 score the better) (EIU,
2019).
Moreover, Nigeria overtook India which was previously
regarded as the country with the highest number of people
living in extreme poverty globally but in May, 2018. In May
2018, Nigeria overtook India to become the world poverty
capital with the highest number of population living in
extreme poverty reached 86.9 million. It is quite alarming
that the poverty situation in Nigeria is increasing. As of 6
May 2020, 102.4 million Nigerians live in extreme poverty
implying that an additional 15.5 million Nigerians have
plunged into poverty in 24 months (World Data Lab, 2018;
2020). The precarious state of acute food insecurity in
Nigeria is occasioned by chronic and hidden hunger,
extreme poverty, corruption, conflict events (insurgency in
the North East) and unfavorable climate change. In the
2019 Global Hunger Index (GHI) score, Nigeria has a GHI
score of 27.9, which falls in the serious category. These
data reflected that Nigeria (through these indicators) is not
yet on track in attaining the SDG 2 target of ending all
forms of hunger, achieve food security and improved
nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030.
Proportion of undernourished increased from 9.3% in 2000
o 13.4% while a slight decrease was reported in stunting
from 39.7% in 2000 to 37% in 2019. Meanwhile, the only
indicator that showed remarkable progress was the child
mortality rate, which declined from 18.6% in 2000 to 10%
Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development
in 2019 (von Grebmer et al. 2019). Nigeria also had a
rather low Africa’s Sustainable Development Goals Index
(SDGI) rank and score (ranked 43rd among 52 countries in
Africa with 47.03/100 score) slightly behind Sudan (ranked
42nd with 47.38/100 score) and Comoros (ranked 41st with
47.5/100 score) in Africa (SDG Centre for Africa and
Sustainable Development Solutions Network, 2019;
Otekunrin et al. 2019c).
Even though, International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD) rated Nigeria the highest producer of
cassava, yam and cowpea globally in 2012 and currently
the highest producer of cassava and yam globally, the
country still persistently remained food insecure and
heavily import-dependent. Nigeria is blessed with
abundant land suitable for agriculture (75 percent) but
unfortunately; only 40 percent is used for agricultural
purposes. A vast majority of the rural household population
still engages in subsistence farming which can barely feed
their immediate families. Lack of infrastructural facilities
such as good roads has heightened rural poverty
disconnecting rural farmers from needed inputs and
markets for their produce (IFAD, 2012; FAOSTAT, 2019;
Otekunrin and Sawicka 2019).
Chronic and seasonal food insecurity persist in every part
of Nigeria, escalated by frequent high food prices, impact
of conflict related to insurgency (especially in the
Northeast), armed banditry, communal, pastoralist/farmer
crisis, kidnapping, cattle rustling, and climate change
(FEWS NET, 2020). Among the six geopolitical zones in
Nigeria, Northeast, North-Central and South-South are the
three zones mostly affected by conflict events. Figure 3
shows that the reoccurring conflict events are terrorism in
the Northeast (73%), land or resource access in the North-
Central (55%) and cultism/criminality in the South-South
(36%) (NBS/World Bank, 2018; Otekunrin et al., 2019a).
According to the International Office of Migration (IOM)
assessment in October 2018, over 1.8 million persons
were displaced across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states
with Borno state remaining the epicentre of Boko Haram
conflict hosting over 1.4 million Internally Displaced
Persons (IDPs) (FEWS NET, 2019). Global Rights (an
international non-governmental organisation) report
revealed that 3,188 persons, including 2,707 civilians and
481 security operatives, were reportedly killed in 2019
(FEWS NET, 2020). IOM-DTM assessment, conducted
between August and October 2019, reported that over 2
million people were displaced in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno,
Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states in the northeast while in
January 2020, ACLED reported 507 fatalities throughout
Nigeria (FEWS NET, 2020). Agriculture, a major source of
livelihood for people in these areas, and other income-
generating activities were disrupted leading to reduced
household income and limited access to food (USAID,
2017).

Nigeria's GFSI Scores and Rank (2012-2019)
120
GFSI
100
91
86 87
80
80
60
40 36.5 37.1
34.8 33
20
0
2012 2013 2014 2015
Figure 2: Nigeria’s Global Food Security Index and Rank (2012-2019)
Source: Authors’ graph using EIU 2012-2019 data
The projected food security outcomes (June-September
2020) in the country is displayed in figure 4 while figure 5
shows the food security situation in the north-eastern part
of Nigeria. According to FEWS NET (2019), intense
insurgent attacks in the northeast Nigeria have led to
increased displacement of persons with attendant food
needs. Also, many households are negatively impacted by
farmer/herder conflict in central and northern states of
Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Taraba, Plateau, Benue,
Nasarawa and Adamawa. The conflict did not allow the
households to engage in normal livelihood activities
including farming with no access to market and income
opportunities (FEWS NET, 2019; 2020).
Nigeria’s Intervention Programs in Achieving Food
and Nutrition Security
The Nigerian government is not relenting in her efforts
aimed at reducing extreme poverty, hunger and food
insecurity among her ever-growing population where the
children (infants and adolescents) and women are the
most vulnerable. Several policies and programs that are
nutrition-sensitive with efficient frameworks to tackle food
insecurity and all forms of malnutrition have been
developed. Some have been implemented while many are
yet to yield positive results. Efforts are being made by the
Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development
J. Agric. Econs. Rural Dev. 814
Rank
96 94
90 92
48.4
39.4 38.4 38
2016 2017 2018 2019
Nigerian government to return agriculture to its enviable
position in the Nigerian economy. Some of the policies and
strategies enacted by Nigerian government aimed at
reducing the level of food and nutrition insecurity are
mentioned below (IITA, 2017; Olomola, 2017; Otekunrin et
al. 2019a):
National Policy on Food and Nutrition (NPFN)
The national committee on food and nutrition of the
National Planning Commission developed this document,
in 2002. It focused mainly on Food and Nutrition Security
(FNS) in different sectors and among different classes of
society. (IITA, 2017; Olomola, 2017; Otekunrin et al.
2019a). The policy did not yield needed improvement in
nutrition as reported by the Ministry of Budget and National
Planning and this occasioned its revision in 2016 better
performance (FGN, 2016; Olomola, 2017; Otekunrin et al.
2019a).
Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA)
The ATA (2011-2015) was designed and implemented by
the Federal Ministry of Agriculture having food security and
agricultural productivity as the focal targets of the program.
Ayinde et al. 815

Primary causes of Conflict Events in Nigeria (2010-2017)

80
73% North East North Central South- South
70

60 55%

50
Percent (%)

40 36%
32%
30
21%
19%
20 15% 16%

8% 9%
10 7%
3% 2%
0% 0%
0
Terrorism Land or Resource Access Cultism or Criminality Ethnicity, Politics or Personal Disputes
Religion
Figure 3: Primary cause of conflicts in three Geo-political zones (2010-2017)
Source: Otekunrin et al., 2019a (using NBS/World Bank, 2018 data).

Figure 4: Projected Nigeria’s food security outcomes, June to September 2020

Source: FEWS NET, 2020

Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development


Food Security Situation in Northeast Nigeria
60 54.8%
50
43.7%
40
28.8%
30
20.9%
20
11.2%
10 6.6%
0
Adamawa Yobe
Food secure Marginally Food Secure
Figure 5: Food Security Situation in North East Nigeria
Source: Authors’ own graph from Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA), WFP et al. 2017
The main components of ATA as highlighted in Olomola
and Nwafor (2018) and Otekunrin et al. (2019a) were:
(i) The Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS)
commissioned to enhance the availability of contemporary
agricultural inputs to farmers at subsidized prices.
(ii) The Staple Crop Processing Zone (SCPZ) aimed at
enhancing clustered food production, based on the
comparative advantage of each region.
(iii) Agricultural Commodity Value Chain Development
(ACVCD) designed to harness key commodities in crop
and livestock sub-sectors in different agro-ecological
zones.
(iv)Agricultural Marketing and Trade Development
Corporations (AMTDCs) were commissioned to improve
smallholder farmers’ access to markets.
(v) The Agricultural Extension Transformation Agenda
(AETA) designed to enhance diffusion of information and
adoption of innovations.
(vi) The Nigerian Incentive-based Risk-Sharing System for
Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) established to surmount the
bottlenecks associated with agricultural commodity and
financing value chains.
It was reported that about 12 to 14 million smallholder
farmers benefited from the means-based input subsidies
offered by ATA 2011- 2014. Commodity marketing boards
was reestablished and also formal lending purposely for
agricultural businesses increased from 1% - 6% in 2015
(FGN, 2016; Olomola, 2017; Otekunrin et al. 2019a).
Other policies and programs geared towards food security
and nutrition in Nigeria are listed below as cited by
Olomola (2017) and Otekunrin et al. (2019a);
(a) National Strategic Plan of Action for Nutrition
(NPAN) (2014-2019): Some basic objectives of the plan
Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development
J. Agric. Econs. Rural Dev. 816
51.4%
42.1%
36.8%
30%
28.1%
12.8% 13.2%
7.7% 7.9%
4.1%
Borno Total
Moderately Food Insecure Severely Food Insecure
contribute to controlling diet-related non-communicable
diseases and promote/strengthen community participation
for nutrition interventions.
(b) Agricultural Promotion Policy (APP) (2016-2020):
Some basic aims of the policy seek to raise awareness
concerning nutritious foods and enhancing the quality of
food through the control and use of agrochemicals.
(c) Zero Hunger Initiative (ZHI): The ZHI seeks to
formulate a strategic framework for achieving Zero hunger
target (SDG2) in the country using a multi-stakeholder and
multi-dimensional approach in which all sectors have
specific goals that must be met.
Social Safety Net Programs
In addition to the afore-mentioned Food and Nutrition
Security policies and programs of the Nigerian
government, there are other important social safety net
programs commissioned in 2016 under National Social
Investment Programs (N-SIP). The intervention program
was launched to offer assistance to the most vulnerable
people (groups) in the society in order to offer economic
assess to food and quality livelihoods while reducing the
prevalence of food and nutrition insecurity in the country.
According to FGN N-SIP (2018) and cited in Otekunrin et
al., 2019a, these programs are given as follow;
(i) National Cash Transfer Program (NCTP):
NCTP was launched in 2016 mainly to offer support to the
most vulnerable groups in the population nutritional
intervention, improving livelihood and human capital
development through access to cash benefit (N5000)
every month. It was reported that more than 300,000
Ayinde et al 817
households have been impacted by this scheme since it
was commissioned.
(ii) National Home Grown School Feeding (NHGSF)
program: This was commissioned to reduce the
prevalence of chronic hunger and malnutrition among the
school-age children, improve school enrolment and
enhance the teaching and learning process by providing at
least a meal a day to each school pupil.
(iii) N-Power Program: The basic aim of this program
is to induce the learn-work-entrepreneurship culture in
Nigerian youths between ages 18 and 35. The N-Power
program is sub-divided into eight categories. These are: N-
Power Agro; N-power Tax; N-power Build; N-Power
Creative; N-Power Health; N-Power Teach; N-Power Tech
Hardware and N-power Tech Software. N30,000 monthly
stipend is paid to each N-Power volunteer and
equipment/device support for a specific volunteer for
continuous learning on the job. There are over 200,000
beneficiaries as at the end of 2018.
(iv) Government Enterprise and Empowerment
Program (GEEP): This is also referred to as MarketMoni
and was launched to provide financial incentives and
training to small scale business owners (traders, youths,
market women, farmers). These small scale business
owners are offered a no collateral interest loan of N10,000-
N100,000 payable within six months. A total of 308,737
loans was disbursed in all 36 states in 2018. In December
2019, Bank of Industry (BOI) reported that N19.9 billion
has been disbursed to betty traders under this program
(Punch, 2019)
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Nigerian government is focused on reducing all forms
of food insecurity (including chronic hunger and
malnutrition) by 2030, as part of the global vision of the
SDG2 which aimed at “end hunger, achieve food security
and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable
agriculture by 2030.
Meanwhile, there are laudable Food and Nutrition Security
related programs and policies launched and revised by the
Nigerian government which are geared towards drastic
reduction in food insecurity in the country especially
among the poorest of the poor in the society. There are
also many bottlenecks and challenges in achieving proper
implementation and monitoring of the programs for
effective and maximum results to improve the livelihood of
every citizen.
It is a common wisdom that it is only when Nigerians are
food-secure and in good health that they can contribute
meaningfully to the growth and develop of the country. The
government must ensure that institutional frameworks
formulated to improve food security and nutrition are
strengthened and properly supported financially in its
entirety.
Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development
It is recommended that the Nigerian government should
prioritize the following:
(i) strengthening policies and programs that can lift
people out of extreme poverty
(ii) reduce bottlenecks and proffer solutions to challenges
encountered in the smooth running of the N-SIP
programs.
(iii) bring an end to the issues of terrorism (Boko Haram),
armed conflicts, banditry and Fulani herdsmen crises
especially in the northeast and north-central of the
country.
(iv) provide needed financial support and monitoring
teams to National Agricultural Systems, Nigerian
agricultural and research institutes in order to deliver
their core mandate
(v) effective implementation of agricultural programs and
food and nutrition-related interventions especially to
the most vulnerable people in the country
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This paper is a revised and expanded version of the paper
entitled “Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and
Development”, presented (by the first author) at the 6th
Waheed Kadiri Annual Lecture 2019 of the Nigerian
Institute of Town Planners, Ogun State Chapter on 2 July,
2019.
REFERENCES
Afolabi, M.B., Ola, A.A., and Egbogu, P.N (2018). Food
security: A threat to human security in Nigeria. Journal
of Health and Social Issues, 7(2), 1-11
Awoyemi T.T., Odozi, J.C., Otekunrin O.A., Ehirim N.C
(2015). Efficient Resource Use: Does Human Capital
Matter? The Case of Cassava Production farmers in
Oyo State, Nigeria. International Journal of Agriculture
and Rural Development 18(1), 2064-2074.
Ayinde, I. A., Akerele, D. and Dipeolu, A. O. (2010) Socio-
economic determinants of calorie intake among
members of farm households in Ogun State, Nigeria,
Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment. 8(2),
209-212.
http://www.isfae.org/scientficjournal/2010/issue2/abstract
s/abstract40.php
Ayinde, I. A., Akerele, D., Adewuyi, S. A. and Oladapo, M.
O (2011). Can food calorie be an index for poverty in a
rural economy? An extrapolation from farm households
in Ogun State, Nigeria, International Journal of
Consumer Studies, 36(6), 688-695.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1470-
6431.2011.01046.x/abstract
Ayinde, I.A (2019). Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for
Growth and Development. Nigerian Institute of Town
Planners (Ogun State Chapter) Waheed Kadiri Annual
Lecture 2019. (2 July 2019).

Barrett, C. and Sahn, D. (2001). Food policy in crisis
management (draft), Cornell University
Barrett, C. B. (2010). Measuring food insecurity. Science,
327, 825–828.
Capone, R., Bilali, H. E., Debs, P., Cardone, G. and
Driouech, N. (2014). “Food System Sustainability and
Food Security: Connecting the Dots” Journal of Food
Security, 2(1), 13-22.
De Haen, H., Klasen, S. and Qaim, M. (2011). What do we
really know? Metrics for food insecurity and under
nutrition, Food Policy, 36(6), 760–769.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2011.08.003.
EIU (2012). Global food security index (2012). An
Assessment of food affordability, availability and
quality. A report from The Economist Intelligence Unit.
EIU (2013). Global food security index (2013). An Annual
Measure of the State of Global Food Security. A report
from The Economist Intelligence Unit.
EIU (2014). Global food security index (2014) An annual
measure of the state of global food security. A report
from The Economist Intelligence Unit.
EIU (2015). Global food security index (2015) An annual
measure of the state of global food security. A report
from The Economist Intelligence Unit.
EIU (2016). Global food security index (2016) An annual
measure of the state of global food security. A report
from The Economist Intelligence Unit.
EIU (2017). Global food security index (2017) Measuring
food security and impact of resource risks. A report
from The Economist Intelligence Unit.
EIU (2018). Global food security index (2018) Building
resilience in the face of rising food-security risks. A
report from The Economist Intelligence Unit.
EIU (2019). Global food security index (2019).
Strengthening the food systems and the environment
through innovation and investment. A report from The
Economist Intelligence Unit.
FAO (1983). World food security: a reappraisal of the
concepts and approaches. Director General’s Report.
Rome: FAO.
FAO (1996). Rome declaration on world food security and
world food summit plan of action. Retrieved from:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/w3613e/w3613e00.htm
FAO (2008). Food security information for action practical
guides. Rome: FAO.
FAO, WFP and IFAD (2012). “The state of food insecurity
in the world 2012”. Rome:
FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP, WHO (2020). The State of
Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2020.
Transforming Food Systems for Affordable Healthy
Diets. Rome, FAO.
http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2020/en/
FAO (2019). “Eggs: harnessing their power for the fight
against hunger and malnutrition”. Global Forum on
Food Security and Nutrition. Report of Activity No
154 from 23.10.2018 to 13.11.2018. February,
2019. 1-6. Retrieved from:
Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development
J. Agric. Econs. Rural Dev. 818
www.fao.org/fsnforum/activities/discussions/eggs-
nutrition
FAO. FAOSTAT (2019). Statistical Database, Statistical
Division. Rome. Retrieved from:
http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/
FEWS NET (2019). “Nigeria food security outlook,
February to September 2019: Intense insurgent
attacks in Northeast Nigeria lead to increased
displacement and food needs”. Retrieved from:
https://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/nigeria-food-
security-outlook-february-september-2019
FEWS NET (2020). “Nigeria food security outlook,
February to September 2020: Persisting and
escalating conflicts in the northeast and other
northern areas increasing needs”. Retrieved from:
https://fews.net/west-africa/nigeria/food-security-
outlook/february-2020
FGN (2016). “The Agriculture Promotion Policy (2016 –
2020)”. Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development (FMARD), Abuja
FGN National Social Investment Programs (N-SIP) (2018).
“Investing in our people: A brief on the national
social investment programs in Nigeria”. Federal
Government of Nigeria, Abuja
Food Security Information Network (2020). 2020 Global
Report on Food Crises (GRFC 2020). Retrieved
from: https://www.wfp.org/publications/2020-global-
report-food-crises
Gubert, M.B., Spaniol, A.M., Segall-Corrêa, A.M., Pérez-
Escamilla, R (2016). Understanding the double
burden of malnutrition in food insecure households
in Brazil 2016. Maternal Child Nutrition, 13(3), 1-9.
https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.12347
Headey, D. and Ecker, O (2012). “Improving the
measurement of food security” (No. 01225). IFPRI
Discussion Paper 01225. Retrieved from:
http://www.ifpri.org/publication/improving-
measurement-food-security
Hart, T (2009). Exploring definitions of food insecurity and
vulnerability: time to refocus assessments. Agrekon,
Vol. 48(4), 362-383
IFAD (2012). “Annual report. International Fund for
Agricultural Development”, Monte Forte.
IITA (2017). “Synthesis Report of the Nigeria Zero Hunger
Strategic Review”. International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture.
Ike, C.U., Jacobs, P and Kelly, C (2015). Towards
comprehensive food security measures: Comparing
key indicators. Africa Insight, 44(3), 91-111.
Jones, A. D., Ngure, F. M., Pelto, G. and Young, S. L
(2013). What are we assessing when we measure
food security? A Compendium and review of current
metrics 1, 2. Advances in Nutrition 4(5), 481–505
http://doi.org/10.3945/an.113.004119
National Population Commission (NPC) and National
Bureau of Statistics (NBS) (2018). “National
population estimates”
Ayinde et al. 819
NBS (National Bureau of Statistics) and The World Bank
(2018). “Conflicts and violence in Nigeria: Results
from the North-East, North-Central and South-
South Zones”. Retrieved from:
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/11185
1538025875054/Conflicts-and-violence-Results-
from-the-North-East-North-Central-and-South-
South-Zones
Nathalie, D. C. (2012) “A comparative overview of
commonly used food security indicators, case
study in the Limpopo Province, South Africa”
Universiteit Gent.
Okuneye, P. A., E. Fabusoro, K. Adebayo and I. A. Ayinde
(2005). Raging poverty and Nigerian agriculture:
Some policy issues. The Nigerian Journal of
Economic and Social Studies, 47(3), 333-347.
Olomola, A.S. (2017). Ending rural hunger in Nigeria:
Mapping needs and actions for food and nutrition
security. Final research report submitted to the
Brookings Institution, Washington D. C., USA.
Olomola, A.S., and Nwafor, M. (2018). Nigeria agricultural
sector performance review: A background report
for Nigeria, Agriculture Joint Sector Review.
Otekunrin O.A (2011). “The Effect of Human Capital
Accumulation on Resource Use Efficiency among
Cassava-based Farmers in Oyo State”. M.Sc
dissertation, Department of Agricultural
Economics, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
Otekunrin, O. A., Otekunrin, O. A., Momoh, S. and Ayinde,
I. A. (2019a). How far has Africa gone in achieving
the Zero Hunger Target? Evidence from Nigeria.
Global Food Security, 22, 1-12.
https://doi.org/j.gfs.2019.08.001
Otekunrin, O.A., Otekunrin, O.A., Momoh, S and Ayinde, I.
A. (2019b). “Assessing the Zero Hunger Target
Readiness in Africa: Global Hunger Index (GHI)
patterns and Indicators”: Proceedings of the 33rd
Annual National Conference of the Farm
Management association of Nigeria (FAMAN),
7th-10th October, 2019, 456-464.
Otekunrin, O.A., Momoh, S., Ayinde, I. A & Otekunrin, O.A.
(2019c). How far has Africa gone in achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals? Exploring the
African dataset. Data in Brief, 27, 1-7.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2019.104647
Otekunrin, O. A and Sawicka, B. (2019). Cassava, a 21st
Century Crop: How can Nigeria Harness its
Enormous Trade Potential? Acta Scientific
Agriculture 3(8), 194-202.
https://doi.org/10.31080/ASAG.2019.03.0586
Otekunrin, O. A., Otekunrin, O. A., Fasina F. O, Omotayo,
A. O and Akram M. (2020). Assessing the Zero
Hunger Readiness in Africa in the Face of COVID-
19 Pandemic. Caraka Tani: Journal of Sustainable
Agriculture 35 (2), 213-227.
http://dx.doi.org/10.20961/carakatani.v35i2.41503
Otekunrin, O. A., Otekunrin, O. A., Sawicka B and Ayinde
I.A. (2020b). Three decades of fighting against
Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development
hunger in Africa: Progress, challenges and
opportunities. World Nutrition (in press).
Otekunrin, O. A and Otekunrin, O. A (2020c). Healthy and
Sustainable Diets: Implications for Achieving
SDG2. In: Leal Filho W., Azul A., Brandli., Ozuyar
P., Wall T. (eds) Zero Hunger. Encyclopedia of the
UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer
Cham (in press).
Perez-Escamilla, R., Gubert, M.B., Rogers, B and Hromi-
Fiedler, A. (2017a). Food security measurement
and governance: Assessment of the usefulness of
diverse food insecurity indicators for policy
makers. Global Food Security, 14, 96-104.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2017.06.003
Perez-Escamilla, R. (2017b). Food security and the 2015–
2030 Sustainable Development Goals: from
human to planetary health: Perspectives and
opinions, Current Developments in Nutrition, 1(7),
1-8. http://doi.org/10.3945/cdn.117.000513
Punch (2019). FG has disbursed N19.9 billion to petty
traders-BOI” 2019. Retrieved from:
https://punchng.com/fg-has-disbursed-n19bn-to-petty-
traders-boi/
SDG Center for Africa and Sustainable Development
Solutions Network (2019). Africa SDG Index and
Dashboards Report, 2019. Retrieved from:
unsdsn.org/resources/publications/2019-africa-
sdg-index-and-dashboards-report.
Sen, A. (1981). “Poverty and famines: an essay on
entitlement and deprivation”. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Simmons E and Saundry P (2012). Food security. In:
Cleveland CJ, editor. Encyclopedia of earth.
Environmental Information Coalition, National
Council for Science and the Environment; 2012.
Washington, DC. Retrieved from:
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Food_Security?to
pic=54424
United Nations (UN) (1975). “Report of the world food
conference”, Rome 5–16 November 1974. New
York.
UN (United Nations). (2017a). “Sustainable Development
Goals”. Retrieved from:
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sus
tainable-development-goals/
UN (2017b). “Sustainable Development Goal 2”. Retrieved
from:
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg2.
USAID (2017). “Food assistance fact sheet: Nigeria”
Retrieved from:
https://www.usaid.gov/nigeria/food-assistance
von Grebmer K., Bernstein, J. L., Hammond, F. et al.
(2018). 2018 Global Hunger Index: Forced
migration and hunger. Bonn and Dublin:
Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide
von Grebmer K., Bernstein, J. L., Hammond, F. et al.
(2019). 2019 Global Hunger Index: The
Challenge of Hunger and Climate Change Bonn
 J. Agric. Econs. Rural Dev. 820

and Dublin: Welthungerhilfe and Concern

Worldwide
Webb, P., Coates, J., Frongillo, E. A., Rogers, B. L., et al.
(2006). Measuring household food insecurity:
Why it’s so important and yet so difficult to do.
The Journal of Nutrition, 136(5), 1404S-1408S.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/136.5.1404S
WFP, NBS, Action Against Hunger, FAO, FEWS NET and
OXFAM (2017). “Emergency Food Security
Assessment (EFSA) in Borno, Yobe and
Adamawa States, Nigeria”. Retrieved from:
https://relifweb.int/report/nigeria/nigeria-
emergency-food-security-assessment-efsa-
borno-yobe-adamawa-states
World Data Lab (2019). Retrieved from:
https://worldpoverty.io/index.html Accessed 19
May 2019
World Data Lab (2020). Retrieved from:
https://worldpoverty.oi/headline Accessed 5
May 2020.
Worldometers (2020). World Population Projections.
Retrieved
from:https://www.worldometers.info/world-
population/world-population-projections/

Accepted 7 September 2020

Citation: Ayinde I.A, Otekunrin O.A, Akinbode S.O,

Otekunrin O.A (2020). Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus
for Growth and Development. Journal of Agricultural
Economics and Rural Development, 6(2): 808-820.

Copyright: © 2020: Ayinde et al. This is an open-access

article distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original author and source are cited.

Food Security in Nigeria: Impetus for Growth and Development