Nagging Food Insecurity Amidst Numerous Public Agricultural Policies, Strategies, Programmes and Projects in Nigeria: Identifying and Fixing the Key Issues

Abstract

Despite numerous public agricultural policies, strategies, programmes and projects aimed at boosting agricultural production for the attainment of food security in the past consecutive five decades in Nigeria, seven out of ten Nigerians are food insecure. The study identified the key issues that need to be fixed, using theoretical and documentary methods and survey research designs. Four hundred (400) academics/practitioners in food policies/production/security were purposively selected based on online visibility. They were reached for information, using Google Questionnaire. Data were analysed using frequency tables and factor analysis. Finding sidentified six (6) key issues that needed to be fixed, namely predominance of smallholder subsistence farming, use of rudimentary tools, unimproved varieties of seeds and other inputs, traditional storage and preservation practices, deficit of marketing infrastructure, and dependence on rain-fed agriculture. Fixing themcan address the four dimensions of food security. The key issues were related more to science technology and innovation (STI) than to other selected development sub-sectors. They were attributable to poor STI adoption and can be fixed by STI adoption. Therefore, STI adoption for agricultural production was recommended for the attainment of food security in Nigeria.