The Chief Agricultural and Nutrition Desk Officer for Bauchi State Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mahmood Umar Bala, has called on the government to invest in climate-smart agriculture.
He also called for more investment in agroecology practices, and efficient irrigation systems to enhance farmers’ resilience against environmental and climate-related challenges.
Bala made this recommendation during his presentation titled “Cadre Harmonise Analysis and Identification of Areas at Risk and Populations Affected by Food and Nutrition Insecurity in 26 States of Nigeria and the FCT,” delivered at the State Committee on Food and Nutrition (SCFN) second-quarter meeting held in Bauchi.
In his presentation, Bala highlighted that between March and May 2024, no local government area in Bauchi State was classified under phase 4 (emergency) or phase 5 (famine).
However, over 700,000 individuals were identified as being in the crisis phase, with approximately 2 million people in the stress phase.
He further projected that between June and August, half of Bauchi State’s population could fall into the minimal phase unless adequate humanitarian assistance is provided.
The report recommended that the government implement social protection laws using the social register to identify and support conflict-affected households and vulnerable individuals.
Bala also emphasized the need to reposition the agricultural sector in Bauchi State, focusing on agricultural mechanization, subsidized fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and other farming inputs.
The Cadre Harmonise is a rigorous and unified tool that produces relevant and transparent analyses of food and nutrition security situations.
The SCFN meeting aimed to strengthen the coordination mechanism for delivering a multi-sectoral intervention approach to nutrition in the state.
It also assessed the performance of nutrition indicators to better track efforts and make informed decisions to address identified gaps and challenges.
The Chairman of the Committee and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Budget, Economic Planning, and Multilateral Coordination, Jibrin Yusuf, reiterated the state’s commitment to improving the nutritional status of its citizens.
He added that all decisions from the meeting would be forwarded to the State Council on Food and Nutrition, where policies are developed to address malnutrition effectively.
By Lizzy Carr
