Essay Sample on Nigeria's Food Scarcity: Impact of Climate Change & Government Policies

Introduction

Despite Nigeria having plenty of agro-ecological resources, it is one of the main importers due to food scarcity in the country. The leading cause of this food scarcity in Nigeria is climate change, especially the adverse effects of global warming (Igbokwe-Ibeto, 2019). Since food is one of the basic human necessities, the Nigerian government has continuously formulated different policies to raise food production levels for the last five decades. Examples of these government policies include the green revolution and operation feed the nation. However, these policies have not been effective; hence the reason food production has been declining, especially in crops such as maize, cocoa, soya beans, wheat, and rice.

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For the Nigerian agricultural industry to effectively address food security and production challenges, it will be important to monitor different ecological factors, including humidity, temperature, and rainfall. Such ecological factors are the main determinants of food production in Nigeria, which is highly dependent on agriculture. For instance, excessive rainfall results in floods that destroy crops and degrade farmlands through erosion, which causes food shortage (Idumah, Mangodo, Ighodaro & Owombo, 2016). Inadequate rainfall and high temperatures result in large scale good production failure in Nigeria.

How the Industry Impacts or Is Impacted by Climate Change

Whereas the Nigerian agricultural industry is impacted by climate change, it also causes changes in climatic conditions. On the one hand, agriculture is predominantly a human activity that plays a critical role in the sustainability of ecosystems (Idumah et al., 2016). For instance, inappropriate agricultural practices such as deforestation, destruction of water catchment areas, and bush burning lead to irreversible environmental degradation, which severely affects food production and security.

Nigerian agricultural industry, on the other hand, is heavily dependent on ecological resources such as relative humidity, rainfall, and temperature, and this makes the agricultural industry to be susceptible to the adverse impact of climate change (Igbokwe-Ibeto, 2019). Most specifically, sunlight, relative humidity, water, and temperature are the key determinants of the crop yield in the Nigerian agricultural industry. For this reason, changes in these ecological resources could affect the quantity and quality of crop produced alongside food production-related earnings (Sowunmi & Akintola, 2010).

Climate Concern the Industry Needs to Address Urgently

With more than 60% of the Nigerian rural population depending on agriculture as their source of livelihood and food, there is an urgent need to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. Food security entails sustained access to acceptable quality and quantity of food at all times for human consumption. Based on the analysis of climatic condition changes conducted between 1979 and 2009, it was established that the average temperature in the country had risen by 8.03% over the period (Abraham, 2012). Therefore, policies to mitigate problems associated with increased temperatures would be the most urgent in the Nigerian agricultural industry (Igbokwe-Ibeto, 2019).

Such policies would include the provision of alternative water sources for irrigation and appropriate farming practices to improve the cooling of farmlands (Idumah et al., 2016). More specifically, this could best be achieved by employing extension officers to educate farmers about effective arable land cooling practices such as terracing, mulching, mixed farming, and land preparation practices that preserve soil moisture to boost crop production.

Another realistic alternative to mitigate the adverse effects of increasing temperatures on the Nigerian agricultural industry is by increasing funding for research and development. By combining weather data, historical crop yields, and scientific knowledge, it is possible to develop superior varieties for common crops such as cassava, maize, rice, and cocoa to boost their average yields under high temperatures (Abraham, 2012). It is also worth noting that an increase in temperatures is associated with increased pests and diseases that affect crop yield during the growing and storage period (Idumah et al., 2016). Therefore, research and development in agriculture will boost crop yield by developing effective pest and disease control methods and food storage chemicals to ensure there is adequate food quantity and quality for everyone all the time.

Studies done on major Nigerian crops, including rice, cocoa, and cassava, have also shown the adverse impact of climatic conditions such as floods on food production. For instance, floods in Nigeria have often resulted in the degradation of farmlands and the destruction of crops, thus, prompting the need for food imports to supplement local production (Igbokwe-Ibeto, 2019). Most specifically, torrential rains caused floods in Nigeria in 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2018, destroying massive crops and farmlands (Igbokwe-Ibeto, 2019). The food shortages associated with floods may also trigger an increase in food prices. It is also worth noting that flooding has been related to the destruction of transport systems, thus affecting food distribution in Nigeria. Therefore, it will be necessary for the agricultural industry invests in constructing dams to control floods and gabions to reduce soil degradation caused by erosion.

A Realistic Alternative

For the Nigerian agricultural industry to address the decline in food production, it will be important to mitigate the adverse effect of greenhouse gas emissions. For example, an analysis of carbon (IV) oxide emission in Nigeria between 1991 and 2007 shows an increasing trend (Abraham, 2012). Such measures include adopting clean sources of energy for industrial and transport use. By adopting these measures, it will be possible to minimize the impact of greenhouse gases on the agricultural industry. For effective implementation of these measures, it will be important to make environmental impact assessments (EIAs) compulsory for all the firms undertaking industrial activities in the country (Igbokwe-Ibeto, 2019). Legal mechanisms must be put in place to ensure that firms strictly adhere to EIAs. However, this measure may not be as urgent as the need to address the problem of temperature and rainfall variations. This is because the increase in greenhouse gas emission is a global concern requiring a global approach, as Nigeria cannot solve it on its own.

References

Abraham, T. W. (2012). Climate change and food supply in Nigeria. The Nigerian Journal of Economic and Social Studies, 54(2):209-232. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261855290

Idumah, F., Mangodo, C., Ighodaro, U., & Owombo, P. (2016). Climate change and food production in Nigeria: Implication for food security in Nigeria. Journal of Agricultural Science, Vol. 8(2),74-83. https://doi.org/10.5539/jas.v8n2p74

Igbokwe-Ibeto, C. J. (2019). Climate change, food security and sustainable human development

in Nigeria: A critical reflection. Africa's Public Service Delivery and Performance Review 7(1), a322. https://doi.org/10.4102/apsdpr.v7i1.322

Sowunmi, F. A., & Akintola, J. O. (2010). Effect of Climatic Variability on Maize Production in Nigeria. Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences, 2(1), 19-30.