By Tina George, Minna
The Permanent Secretary, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Olusola Idowu has observed that the current food system requires a review because it is not giving the people the desired results.
She spoke at the rural community food systems dialogue organized by the IFAD assisted Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP) and the IFAD assisted Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise Programme in Niger Delta (LIFE-ND) in Bida, Niger state on Sunday.
Represented by a Director in the Ministry, Victor Emmanuel, she noted that the current food system in Nigeria has been affected by so many challenges which, if not taken care of, would affect food security in the nation.
Idowu, who is the National Convener of the Food Systems Dialogue, said that the rural community food systems dialogue is organized to get the views of the people regarding the food systems, adding that the dialogue will address the global value chain, which has been disrupted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
“This dialogue is to capture the rural community stakeholders who at times feel neglected and often form a substantial part of the societies and in some cases almost forgotten. The rural food systems dialogue will engage grassroots stakeholders to take an aggressive approach to solve global hunger.”
The Niger state IFAD-VCDP Coordinator, Dr Mathew Ahmed stressed the need for Nigerians to look at ways of developing the food system.
“Food systems are talking about the people, places and their activities and ways to bring food to the common man. It looks at ways to make food available to everyone”, he said.
Ahmed noted that the agency was working towards ensuring the nation had good food system that would enable the nation to have food sustainability and sufficiency, adding that the dialogue would further help in improving the food system in the country.
The dialogue was attended by rural farmers, artisans, businesswomen and men, women group, health workers, value chain leaders, input service providers, religious leaders, representatives of traditional leaders, security agencies and local NGOs and civil society organizations.
