A post-doctoral researcher at the Food System Research Institute (FSR), Dr. Emmanuel Abah, has stressed the need to accelerate the circulation of improved seeds and hybrid staples to strengthen food security across Nigeria.
Abah stated this in an interview with journalists on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said that optimizing fertilizer use and implementing effective soil fertility management using both organic and mineral inputs were critical to addressing the country’s food insecurity challenges.
According to him, Nigeria’s agricultural system is largely driven by smallholder farmers, informal value chains, and a wide range of staple crops such as yam, cassava, and maize.
He noted that crop yields per hectare for many staple foods remain below potential due to low fertilizer application, limited adoption of improved seeds, and poor soil health, among other factors.
Abah added that agricultural markets are still fragmented, dominated by small traders, poor rural road networks, inadequate cold-chain storage, and weak contractual linkages between producers and processors.
He urged the government and stakeholders to promote climate-smart farming techniques such as water harvesting, small-scale irrigation, conservation agriculture, and agroforestry to stabilize yields and reduce carbon emissions.
The researcher also called for improvements in rural infrastructure and market systems, including better roads, storage facilities, aggregation centres, and digital platforms to connect farmers with buyers and provide reliable pricing information.
“Minimizing post-harvest losses and improving value addition through affordable storage solutions such as hermetic bags and silos should be prioritized.
“There should also be village-level processing options like milling and drying, as well as cold-chain logistics where necessary,” he said.
Abah further recommended expanding financial services and risk management tools, including microcredit, input vouchers, index insurance, and blended public-private financing, to mitigate investment risks for smallholder farmers.
He also advocated the strengthening of institutional support and extension services, through blended outreach models that combine digital platforms, lead farmers, and private-sector providers.
“This should go hand-in-hand with improving farmers’ business skills and post-harvest handling capacity,” he added.
Abah emphasized the need for policy consistency, improved land tenure systems, targeted subsidies, and increased investment in research and development for locally adapted crop varieties to ensure long-term food security.
