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Farmers’ security as prerequisite for food security 12 Jul 2024

Mallam Dogo, a dedicated farmer in Gusau, Zamfara State, Nigeria, whose plantation yields a minimum of four truckloads of tomatoes, peppers, and vegetables at every harvest, walked one morning into his farm not knowing it would be his last entry. He was gruesomely attacked and murdered by some herders he met on his farm leading a herd of cattle to feed on his crops.

For years now, the tragic attack and killing of local farmers by armed herders, bandits, and terrorists in the northern part of Nigeria is not uncommon. Similar attacks on farm owners and their labourers have been reported not only in the North but also in almost every region of the country, forcing food growers to desert their farmlands, abandoning their lifelong occupation to escape agonising death. In other cases, farm owners who are mostly small- or medium-scale farmers and their workers are forced to pay ransom in millions of naira following their kidnap by bandits.

Hundreds of farmers in different farming communities have been murdered this year alone with several farming communities taken over by bandits and these have terrible consequences. To be sure, damage to crops is not the only reason behind herder-farmer clashes. Sometimes, disputes between both parties are triggered by livestock theft, water pollution, and other undocumented scenarios.

One of the consequences of the never-ending attacks on farmers is a significant shortage in food production. Although food shortage is a multifaceted challenge. Adverse environmental and climatic factors such as inadequate rainfall, extreme temperatures, drought, and flooding could significantly affect crop yield. In fact, they are affecting how we grow crops, fish, and raise livestock. Human factors, including hoarding – a situation where traders or retailers create artificial shortages by buying food items in bulk and locking them up during periods of glut, thereby hindering availability to consumers in order to sell at exorbitant prices later – can also trigger food shortages. In fact, some traders take undue advantage of national economic situations to deliberately overshoot food prices.

In previous articles, I have admonished governmental, non-governmental, and concerned agencies to look into innovative ways of mitigating the impact of climate change through improved seed varieties and robust irrigation systems. Not long ago, Niger State governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, announced a ban on the mass purchase of food crops from local markets by traders or retailers planning to hoard them in an attempt to stop artificial scarcity. But if we do all these without securing farmers in their villages, and ensuring that they safely return to their farmlands, our efforts might be in futility.

According to the World Food Programme, Nigeria is projected to experience up to 42 per cent rise in the number of people who will experience acute hunger between June and August 2024 due to conflicts and insecurity, rising inflation, and climate crisis. Inflation in the prices of food is another consequence of farmers’ insecurity. When the attack on farmers become rampant, as we have witnessed at different times in the last eight years, it is difficult to achieve a balance between demand and supply of food crops as many farmlands in the top-food-producing states become desolate. The aftermath is sky-rocking prices. Already, over 133 million people in Nigeria live in multidimensional poverty according to 2023 report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This means an annual increase of 44.8 per cent in food prices as NBS reported in the May 2024 inflation data, is not affordable for more than half of the country’s population.

The inability of farmers to work peacefully in their communities, which results in food shortages and high prices, is the reason many households cannot afford a balanced diet. Last month, the “Child Food Poverty; Nutrition Deprivation in Early Childhood” report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) showed that one in every three children under the age of five in Nigeria is suffering from severe food poverty, which increases the risk of wasting – a life-threatening impact of malnutrition – by up to 50 per cent.

If we must achieve food security in Nigeria, we must first achieve farmers’ security. Farmers’ security is a highly important milestone on the long path to achieving food security. Because security threats to farmers come from varying sources – conflicts with herdsmen, bandits, and high-profile terrorist groups – mitigation strategies might also vary. For conflicts with herdsmen or similar situations that led to the murder of Mallam Dogo, where herders were looking to feed their cattle by any means possible, it is important for both parties to have a change of orientation. One group should not seek to survive by getting rid of the other. The over 220 million Nigerians cannot feed on meat or livestock products alone all year round, neither can we completely eliminate meat and animal products from our diet. We need each other to survive.

Our political, religious, business leaders and other influential people at all levels, some of whom are involved in agricultural activities, should encourage peaceful co-existence. They should be unequivocal in condemning attacks on farmers.

In tackling the need for herders to feed their herds amidst the biting impact of climate change and depletion of natural grassland, each state of the federation should invest in and support the cultivation of livestock feed. Also, traditional conflict resolution by village heads and other leaders in rural farming communities should be strengthened such that aggrieved parties can respect and have confidence in the judgement of community leaders instead of resorting to violence. It is also essential for authorities committed to providing security in these communities to act accordingly and gain the trust of community dwellers – including herders and farmers.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in cattle owners growing or buying feed for their cattle like poultry farmers do. Animal feeds such as pasture grasses, hay and silage crops, and certain cereal grains can be grown specifically for animals. Beef cattle, for example, can consume roughages including pasture forage, hay, corn fodder, straw and grain byproducts instead of crops originally grown for human consumption. Trespassing must be strongly prohibited in farming communities to avoid conflicts. Government must enact severe legal consequences against anyone who defaults and their sponsors.

Threat to farmers from armed bandits and high-profile terrorist groups should not be taken lightly. National and state security agents and armed forces who have been at the forefront of security issues in the country should strengthen necessary capabilities to prevent, detect, degrade, and respond to threats. There is need to strengthen law enforcement and judicial capacity in rural areas and expand border security. A combination of diplomatic engagement and support from neighbouring countries in combating terrorism is also essential. The Nigerian government must prioritise the safety of every citizen, and farmers are not exempted. Threats to food security must be aggressively handled as threats to national security.

Urgent actions to put an end to clashes among various players in the agricultural sector could be one of the major breakthroughs Nigeria needs to revive its food system. If provided necessary support and facilities, farmers are ready to tackle environmental and climatic challenges to ensure food availability. But authorities at local, state, and federal levels must intensify efforts to create a safe and enabling environment.

Mojisola Karigidi, PhD, a Financial Nigeria Columnist, is a Nigerian biochemist and the founder and product developer at Moepelorse Bio Resources. She is also a Global Innovation Through Science and Technology (GIST) awardee, and an Aspen New Voices fellow.